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WANDERINGS 


or 


A    PILGRIM- 


BY  D.  A.  HARSIIA, 

AUTHOR  OF.  "IMMANUEL's  LAND,"  ETC.,  ETC. 


PniLADELPniA: 

PRESBYTERIAN  BOARD  OF  PUBLICATION, 

NO.  265  CHESTNUT  STREET. 


STEREOTYPED    BY 

JESPER   HARDING, 

No.  57.  South  Third  St.,  Philadelphia. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

PAGB 

This  world  a  wilderness,  and  the  Christian  a 
pilgrim, 11 

CHAPTER   II. 

Commencement  of  the   Christian's  journey — 
Difficulties  in  the  way, 29 

CHAPTER  III. 
Encouragements — Provision  by  the  way, 44 

CHAPTER   IV. 
The  Christian  pilgrim  in  the  valley  of  Baca,....     58 

CHAPTER   V. 

The  Christian  on  Pisgah's  mount 68 

(iii) 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VI. 
The  posture  of  the  Christian  pilgrim  in  coming 
u^J  from  the  wilderness  of  this  world, 77 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Passage  over  the  Jordan  of  Death, 95 


'    PREFACE. 


The  design  of  this  manual  is  to  con- 
template the  Christian  pilgrim's  journey 
through  the  wilderness  of  this  world  to 
that  better  laud,  even  the  Heavenly  Ca- 
naan— to  point  out  briefly  the  way  by 
which  the  Captain  of  our  salvation  leads 
his  followers  to  glory. 

It  has  been  the  grand  object  of  the 
author  to  make  the  reader  feel  that  he  is  a 
stranger  and  a  pilgrim  on  earth ;  to  make 
him  realize  the  solemn  truth,  that  man  is 
like  to  vanity ;  that  his  days  are  as  a  shad- 

(V) 


VI  PREFACE. 

ow  whicli  passetli  away;  that  mutability 
and  dissolution  are  the  characteristics  of 
all  sublunary  objects;  that 

<'A11,  all  on  earth,  is  shadow;  all  beyond 
Is  substance." 

"When  we  look  at  the  brevity  and  vanity 
of  human  life,  we  may  well  exclaim  in  the 
beautiful  and  touching  reflection  of  Edmund 
Burke,  "  What  shadoios  ice  are,  and  what 
shadoivs  we  pursue!'' — and  in  the  similar 
impressive  language  of  Patrick  Henry,  "/ 
am  hut  a  poor  worm  of  the  dust,  as  jleeting 
and  unsubstantial  as  the  shadow  of  the  cloud 
that /lies  over  the  fields,  and  is  rememhered 
710  QnoreT'^   Or  we  may  rather  open  the 

*  This  little  treatise  was  composed  during  the 
preparation  of  a  large  work  entitled  "  The  most 


PREFACE.  VU 

pages  of  Holy  Writ,  and  say  with  the 
wisest  of  men,  "  Vanity  of  vanities ;  all  is 
vanity;"  and  with  other  inspired  penmen, 
"  As  for  man,  his  days  are  as  grass;  as  a 
flower  of  the  field  so  he  flourisheth :  for 
the  wind  passeth  over  it,  and  it  is  gone, 
and  the  place  thereof  shall  know  it  no 
more."  ^'  For  what  is  your  life  ?  It  is 
even  a  vapour,  that  appeareth  for  a  little 
time,  and  then  vanisheth  away." 

Amid  the  excitement  and  bustle  of  a 
busy  world,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  the 
Christian  too  often  forgets  his  true  char- 
Eminent  Orators  and  Statesmen  of  the  World  j''  and 
in  writing  the  memoirs  of  Burke  and  Henry,  the  au- 
thor was  so  deeply  impressed  with  the  touching 
thoughts  which  occur  in  their  lives,  that  he  cannot 
help  repeating  them  here. 


Vlll  PREFACE. 

acter  as  a  pilgrim,  joumejing  to  mansions 
of  glory  in  the  skies.  Too  apt  is  he  to 
place  his  affections  iipon  those  terrestrial 
objects  by  which  he  is  surrounded  in  his 
pilgrimage.  How  often  is  this  the  case 
with  the  young  Christian,  over  whom  the 
world,  with  its  delusive  pleasures,  exercises 
such  a  fascinating  power  ! 

The  author  would  earnestly  and  affec- 
tionately entreat  the  young  reader  to  pause 
with  this  solemn  reflection,  /  am  hut  a 
traveller  here.  Remember  that  you  are 
passing  rapidly  through  a  scene  of  shadows 
and  death  to  a  state  of  eternal  realities. 
0,  then,  we  beseech  you  to  live,  as  Grod's 
dear  children,  above  the  world,  with  your 
eye  directed  to  that  blessed  home  in  your 
Heavenly  Father's  house,  where  the  wicked 


PREFACE.  IX 

cease  from  troubling,  and  where  the  weary 
arc  at  rest. 

Should  the  few  plain  words  written  here 
be  the  means  of  inducing  any  to  pass  the 
time  of  their  sojourning  here  in  the  fear 
of  God — of  persuading  them  to  live  and 
walk  by  faith  in  Christ — to  rely,  entirely, 
on  his  atoning  blood  for  salvation — the 
author  will  desire  no  other  reward  than  the 
happiness  of  knowing  that  he  has  been  an 
humble  instrument,  in  the  hand  of  God, 
foi*  doing  good. 

This  little  volume  is  now  cast  as  a  mite 
into  the  great  treasury  of  biblical  litera- 
ture ;  and  in  commending  it  to  the  blessing 
of  Heaven,  the  author  would  adopt  the 
beautiful  lines  of  Southey,  and  say : 


:  PREF AC  E. 

"  Go,  little  book — from  this  my  solitude 

I  cast  thee  on  the  waters  ;  go  thy  way— 

And  if  as  I  believe  thy  vein  be  good, 

The  world  will  find  thee  after  many  days. 

Be  it  with  thee  according  to  thy  worth ; 

Go,  little  book — in  faith  I  send  thee  forth." 

D.  A.  H. 

SoiitJi  ArgyJe,  N.  T.,\ 
July  4,  1854.  I 


WANDERINGS  OF  A  PILGRIM. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THIS    "WORLD    A    WILDERXBSS  ;    AND    THE    CHRISTIAN 
A    PILGRIM. 

"  For  we  are  strangers  before  thee,  and  sojourners, 
as  were  all  our  fathers :  our  days  on  the  earth  are 
as  a  shadow,  and  there  is  none  abiding." — 1  Chrox. 
xxix.  15. 

Beyond  this  darksome  vale  of  tears  and 
death  there  lies  a  bright  and  joyous  region 
of  immortality,  where  weary  pilgrims  meet 
to  stray  no  more.  In  that  happy  land  their 
wanderings  will  have  for  ever  terminated, 
and  they  shall  sit  down  in  everlasting  re- 
pose under  the  delightful  shadow  of  the 
tree  of  life,  in  the  midst  of  the  Paradise 
of  God,  and  enjoy,  through  the  blissful  ages 
of  glory,  the  presence  and  smiles  of  that 
Friend  and  Saviour  who,  in  the  tenderest 

(11) 


12  WANDERINGS    OP 

love  for  them,  once  poured  out  his  own 
most  precious  blood  on  Calvary,  that  he 
might  present  them   faultless  before   the 
throne  of  Heaven.     0,  how  transcendently 
glorious  must  be  the  future,  eternal  home 
of  the  Christian  pilgrim  !    On  those  golden 
plains  beyond  the  river  of  death,  rays  of 
divine  glory  are  beaming  in  full  effulgence. 
There,  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  is  shining 
in  all  his  meridian  splendour,  making  eter- 
nity one  constant  noontide  of  untold  and 
indescribable  glory  and  blessedness — a  day 
without  clouds.    There,  our  Immanuel  shall 
be  as  the  ''  lio-ht  of  the  moruino-  when  the 
sun  riseth,  even  a  morning  without  clouds." 
Eternal   day  will   dawn  without   a  cloud. 
No  gloom  or  darkness  will  ever  overspread 
those  blissful  realms  beyond  the  shores  of 
time.     The  celestial  world  will  always  be 
irradiated  by  the   glory  of  God  and   the 
Lamb;  and  the  redeemed  shall  ever  bask 


APILGRIM.  13 

in  the  gladsome  sunshine  of  infinite  love. 
In  that  bright  home  of  pilgrims,  the  Sa- 
viour will  conduct  his  ransomed  ones  to 
living  fountains  of  waters, — streams  of  im- 
mortal joys,  and  God  shall  wipe  away  all 
tears.  In  the  presence  of  Jesus  there  is 
fulness  of  joy;  at  his  right  hand  there  are 
pleasures  for  evermore.  Eye  hath  not  seen, 
nor  ear  heard,  nor  has  the  human  heart 
ever  conceived  those  thino;s  which  God  has 
prepared  for  them  that  love  him.  An  ex- 
ceeding and  eternal  weight  of  glory  will 
crown  every  pilgrim  who  has  found  the 
happy  shores  of  Immanuel's  land.  In  the 
palace  of  the  Kiag  of  kings,  all  will  be 
perfectly  blessed,  and  from  that  "  building 
of  God,  that  house  not  made  with  hands,^^ 
there  shall  be  no  more  going  out ;  but  we 
shall  ever  be  with  the  Lord,  beholding  his 
glory  and  enjoying  the  soul-ravishing  man- 
ifestations of  his  endearing  love.    0,  happy 


14  WANDERINGS    OP 

abode  of  Ziou's  pilgrims  !  0,  sweet  and 
pleasant  clime,  where  the  balmy  zephyrs 
of  Heaven  refresh  the  weary  soul ;  where 
there  floweth  not  a  tear ;  where  there  en- 
tereth  not  a  pain ;  where  death  itself  shall 
be  swallowed  up  in  victory !  This  is  the 
heritage  of  them  that  fear  the  Lord. 

But  before  our  feet  stand  on  the  blissful 
shores  of  the  heavenly  Canaan,  we  have 
to  pass  through  a  wilderness  scene.  This 
world  is  that  wilderness,  where  Zion's  pil- 
grims wander  till  they  are  taken  home  to 
glory.  It  is  a  thorny  pathway  that  leads 
to  the  realms  of  eternal  day-  but,  by  the 
grace  of  God,  the  Christian  is  enabled  to 
hold  on  the  good  way  with  joy,  till  he 
passes  through  the  wilderness,  and  over 
Jordan,  more  than  a  conqueror  through 
Jesus,  and  takes  up  his  seraphic  song  of 
triumph  amid  the  undying  splendours  of 
immortality. 


A   PILGRIM.  15 

In  this  little  volume  it  is  our  desiirn,  as 
has  been  stated,  to  contemplate  the  Chris- 
tian in  his  pilgrimage  to  the  promised 
laud — the  happy  home  of  all  the  true  fol- 
lowers of  Jesus. 

In  this  chapter  there  are  two  prominent 
ideas  which  recur  in  our  mind,  and  which 
deserve  our  serious  consideration. 

1st.  This  world  is  a  wilderness. 

2d.  The  Christian  is  a  pilgrim  here. 

1.  To  every  child  of  God  this  icorld, 
with  all  its  conceived  pleasures^  is  nothing 
hut  a  wilderness, — -far  from  his  Fatliers 
house;  far  from  that  goodlt/  land  ichich 
he  so  ardently  longs  to  see  and  to  2^osscss. 
This  is  the  view  which  every  saint  takes 
of  earth  ;  and  it  is  a  just  one.  What  the 
wilderness  was  to  the  children  of  Israel  in 
tneir  journey  to  the  promised  land,  this 
decaying  scene  is  to  the  believer  in  his 
progress  heavenward.     It  is  not  his  rest; 


16  WANDERINGS   OP 

it  is  not  his  home.  On  the  contrary,  it  is 
a  wilderness  world  of  trouble,  from  which 
he  is  coming  up  to  the  mansions  above. 
The  dark,  rugged  pathway  lies  through 
imminent  dangers  and  difficulties  which 
sometimes  rise  like  mountains  before  the 
Christian  pilgrim,  and  threaten  to  retard 
his  march  to  the  land  *  of  immortality. 
But  it  is  a  blessed  consolation  to  know 
that  Jesus  guards  the  way  to  Mount  Zion ; 
that  he  will  suffer  no  evil  to  befall  us; 
that  even  here,  in  this  vale  of  tears,  all 
things  shall  work  together  for  our  good. 

The  sorrows  and  bereavements  of  life 
render  this  earth  a  trying  wilderness  world 
to  the  child  of  God.  Here,  the  winds  of 
adversity  and  floods  of  sorrow  sweep  along 
our  path,  making  us  long  to  reach  the  bliss- 
ful hill  of  Zion,  where  ''  no  chilling  blasts 
annoy," — where  all  is  blooming  with  im- 
mortal love  and  peace.     Here,  we  are  al- 


APILGRIM.  17 

most  constantly  distressed  with  difficulties, 
cares,  pains,  and  griefs,  which  render  this 
a  weary  land — "  a  land  of  deserts  and  of 
pits,  a  land  of  drought,  and  of  the  shadow 
of  death." 

It  is  sin*  that  makes  this  world  a  wil- 
derness to  the  saint.  On  account  of  the 
sin  in  his  heart,  he  often  faints,  and  is 
ready  to  die ;  he  feels  that  this  is  indeed 
a  valley  of  weeping,  and  longs  to  arrive  at 
the  borders  of  the  wilderness  that  he  may 
cross  into  Canaan. 

•Besides  all  this,  he  has  to  encounter,  iu 
his  journey,  violent  opposition  from  an 
ungodly,  persecuting  world.  This  makes 
him  cry  out,  with  the  Psalmist,  "Wo  is 

*  For  an  interesting,  comprehensive  and  practical 
view  of  the  subject  of  sin — its  consequences,  and 
remission,  the  reader  is  referred  to  a  small  volume 
entitled,  *'  The  Nature,  Effects,  and  Pardon  of  Sin," 
by  the  Rev-  J.  W-  Harshaj  Professor  in  "Westminster 
College,  Pa. 
2 


18  WANDERINGS    OP 

me,  that  I  sojourn  in  Meshech,  that  I  dwell 
in  the  tents  of  Kedar  !  My  soul  hath  long 
dwelt  with  him  that  hateth  peace/'  In 
the  world,  there  are  fightings  without, 
and  fears  within:  How  unlike  this  dark 
abode  of  sin  and  misery  are  those  radiant 
mansions  far  beyond  the  starry  sky.  There 
the  wicked  cease  from  troubling ;  and  there 
the  weary  are  at  rest. 

2.  The  Christian  is  a  pilgrim  here. — 
He  has  only  a  temporary  residence  in  this 
vale  of  tears ;  his  abiding  home  is  in  that 
world  ^' where  momentary  ages  are  no 
more.''  Now  he  is  on  his  journey  to 
those  tearless,  blissful  regions  where  he 
is  to  spend  the  ceaseless,  revolving  ages 
of  eternity. 

When  the  children  of  Israel  were  in  the 
wilderness,  they  had  no  permanent  resi- 
dence, but  were  continually  roving  about 
from  place  to  place;  journeying  to  that 


A  PILQUIM.  19 

goodly  land  which  flowed  with  milk  and 
honey,  and  which  was  then  the  glory  of 
all  lands;  '^  a.  land  of  brooks  of  water,  of 
fountains  and  depths  that  spring  out  of 
valleys  and  hills ;  a  land  of  wheat,  and 
barley,  and  vines,  and  fig  trees,  and  pome- 
granates; a  land  of  oil-olive  and  honey." 
So  the  believer  is  a  pilgrim  on  earth,  with 
no  continuing  city,  nor  certain  place  of 
abode,  travelling  through  a  dreary  wilder- 
ness to  that  city  which  shines  in  the  highest 
noon  of  glory  ;  to  that  land  of  blessedness 
and  immortality,  where  perennial  streams 
of  bliss  issue  from  the  eternal  fountain  of 
life  to  refresh  the  weary  soul,  and  where 
we  may  freely  eat  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree 
of  life,  in  the  midst  of  the  Paradise  of 
God. 

How  impressive  is  the  language  of 
Moses  to  Ilobab,  in  the  wilderness  :  '^  We 
are  journeying  unto  the  place  of  which  the 


20  WANDERINGS  OP 

Lord  said,  I  will  give  it  you/'  The  hosts 
of  Israel,  instead  of  making  their  abode 
in  the  waste,  howling  wilderness,  were 
marching  forward  to  obtain  possession  of 
that  land  which  the  Lord  "  sware  unto  their 
fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  to  give 
unto  them  and  to  their  seed  after  them." 
Like  those  ancient  pilgrims,  we  have  a 
promised  land  in  view,  and  Onward  I  is  our 
motto.  Instead  of  seeking  our  home  and 
our  happiness  in  a  perishing  world,  we  are 
pressing  on  to  that  glorious  kingdom  which 
Jesus,  in  his  boundless  love,  has  gone  to 
prepare  for  our  reception,  and  which  he 
has  promised  to  bestow  on  all  them  that 
love  him  3  for  he  says:  ^'I  appoint  nnto 
you  a  kingdom,  as  my  Father  hath  ap- 
pointed unto  me;  that  ye  may  eat  and  drink 
at  my  table,  in  my  kingdom,  and  sit  on 
thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel." 
And  again  :  "  Fear  not;  little  flock ;  for  it 


APILGRIM.  21 

is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you 
the  kingdom."  So  the  Christian  pilgrim, 
auiiimted  by  such  precious  promises,  has 
good  hope,  through  grace,  of  gaining  the 
happy  shores  of  Canaan  ;  of  possessing  the 
heavenly  inheritance — of  making  his  eter- 
nal abode  in  the  courts  of  Paradise ;  and 
of  sitting  down  with  Abraham,  Isaac  and 
Jacob  at  the  banquet  of  redeeming  love, 
in  the  kingdom  of  God.  With  such  glori- 
ous prospects  in  view,  no  wonder  that  he 
should  look  upon  earth  as  a  barren,  home- 
less world ;  that  he  should  feel  like  a  stran- 
ger and  sojourner  in  it.  No  wonder  that 
he  should  speed  his  earthly  flight  to  reach 
the  blissful  skies. 

"VVe  are  entreated  by  a  compassionate 
Saviour  to  seek  the  better  country.  In  the 
wilderness,  the  divine  injunction  to  the 
children  of  Israel  was  to  march  forward  to 
the  land  of  promise  :  "  And  the  Lord  said 


22  WANDERINGS    OP 

unto  Moses,  Depart  and  go  up  hence,  thou 
and  the  people  which  thou  hast  brought 
up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt,  unto  the  land 
which  I  sware  unto  Abraham,  to  Isaac,  and 
to  Jacob,  saying,  Unto  thy  seed  will  I  give 
it."  The  same  solemn  command,  reminding 
us  of  our  short  pilgrimage  on  earth,  ia 
soundino;  in  our  ears.  It  is  the  entreatinsr 
voice  of  the  Saviour,  calling  upon  us  to  for- 
sake this  present  evil  world,  and  seek  our 
portion  in  the  fair  realms  of  eternal  day.  It 
is  a  voice  of  compassion  and  love  that  says 
to  us,  "  Arise  ye,  and  depart ;  for  this  is 
not  your  rest.  Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  his  righteousness."  The  Chris- 
tian pilgrim  obeys  the  divine  injunction; 
sets  forward  on  his  journey;  leaves  the 
world,  looks  beyond  this  dying  scene,  gazes 
on  the  celestial  Canaan,  till  its  glories  beam 
upon  his  enraptured  soul,  till  he  breathes 
the  pure  atmosphere  of  the  upper  world, 


A    PILGRIM.  23 

till  his  ear  hears  the  glorious  melody  of 
heaven  and  his  eye  catches  a  glimpse  of 
the  king  in  his  beauty,  and  of  the  land  that 
is  afar  off.  0,  says  the  weary  pilgrim,  as 
onward  he  journeys  with  his  eye  directed 
towards  the  heavenly  Canaan  :  In  yonder 
glorious  world  is  my  rest  and  abiding  home. 
Yes: 

*'  There  is  is  my  house  and  portion  fair ; 
My  treasure  and  my  heart  are  there^ 

And  my  abiding  home  ; 
For  me  my  elder  brethren  stay, 
And  angels  beckon  me  away, 
And  Jesus  bids  me  come  !" 

The  Christian  confesses  that  he  is  a  pil- 
grim here. 

All  the  children  of  Zion — all  who  have 
ever  travelled  to  the  Canaan  on  high,  have 
acknowledged  that  they  were  strangers  and 
pilgrims  in  this  wilderness  world.  Of 
those  ancient  worthies  who  died  in  faith, — 
in  the  bright  hope  of  a  blessed  immortality 


24  WANDERINGSOP 

beyond  the  darksome  grave,  and  who  are 
held  up  in  the  precious  volume  of  inspira- 
tion, for  our  imitation  in  the  Christian 
life — it  is  said,  they  "  confessed  that  they 
were  strangers  and  pilgrims  on  the  earth/^ 
To  this  land  of  shadows  and  of  death,  their 
views  were  not  confined.  No.  They  looked 
higher  than  earth.  '  They  desired  a  better 
country,  that  is,  an  heavenly;  wherefore 
God  is  not  ashamed  to  be  called  their  God ; 
for  he  hath  prepared  for  them  a  city.''  Of 
Abraham,  it  is  said  that  he  "sojourned  in 
the  land  of  promise,  as  in  a  strange  country, 
dwelling  in  tabernacles  with  Isaac  and 
Jacob,  the  heirs  with  him  of  the  same  pro- 
juise ;  for  he  looked  for  a  city  which  hath 
foundations,  whose  builder  and  maker  is 
God/'  The  earthly  Canaan  was  but  a  type 
of  the  heavenly ;  and  therefore  the  patri- 
archs, overlooking  the  passing  scenes  of 
a   sublunary  world,  elevated   their  views 


APILGRIM.  25 

to  the  true  land  of  promise  beyond   the 
skies. 

In  contemplating  his  present  state,  each 
child  of  God  is  ready  to  exclaim  with  the 
Psalmist,  when  addressing  his  heavenly 
Father  in  earnest  prayer,  ^'  I  am  a  stranger 
with  thee,  and  a  sojourner,  as  all  my  fa- 
thers were."  His  feelings  with  regard  to 
earthly  objects  are  beautifully  expressed  in 
the  glowing  language  of  the  Christian  poet : 

"  Nothing  on  earth  I  call  my  own  ; 
A  stranger  to  the  world,  unknown) 

I  all  their  goods  despise  : 
I  trample  on  their  whole  delight, 
And  seek  a  city  out  of  sight, 

A  city  in  the  skies. 
No  foot  of  land  do  I  possess ; 
No  cottage  in  this  wilderness  j 

A  poor,  way  faring  man  ; 
I  lodge  awhile  in  tents  below, 
Or  gladly  wander  to  and  fro, 

Till  I  my  Canaan  gain." 

Thus  the  Christian  pursues  his  journey, 


26  WANDERINGS    OP 

and  pitclies  his  tent  nearer  and  nearer 
Canaan,  till  he  reaches  the  banks  of  Jor- 
dan, where  some  appointed  herald  of  glory 
is  ready  to  conduct  his  happy  spirit  to  the 
bosom  of  Abraham — to  the  mansions  of 
rest — to  the  Paradise  of  God. 

The  believer's  life  is  a  progressive  one. 
All  the  true  followers  of  Jesus  are  daily 
advancing  in  their  journey  towards  the 
realms  of  peace.  They  go  on,  from  strength 
to  strength,  through  this  wilderness  scene, 
until  every  one  of  them  appeareth  before 
God  in  the  celestial  Zion.  Their  earnest 
and  continued  endeavours  are  to  get  nearer 
Heaven,  to  become  ripe  for  glory ;  hence, 
forgetting  the  things  which  are  behind, 
and  reaching  forth  unto  those  which  are 
before,  they  press  toward  the  mark  for  the 
prize  of  the  high  calling  of  God  in  Christ 
Jesus.  They  are  not  satisfied  with  their 
present  life  in  the  wilderness.     It  has  but 


A  PILGRIM.  27 

little  attractions-  for  them.  They  are  not 
conformed  to  the  world.  They  do  not 
think  of  making  their  abode  in  this  valley 
of  weeping  ;  but  onward  they  travel  towards 
the  land  of  Canaan — that  pleasant  region 
which  lies  beyond  the  Jordan  of  death. 
Their  course  is  upward.  "  All  Christians/' 
says  the  pious  McCheyne,  "  are  coming  up 
out  of  the  wilderness.  Sabbath  days  are 
like  mile-stones — marking  our  way ;  or, 
rather,  they  are  like  the  wells  we  used  to 
come  to  at  evening.*  Every  real  Christian 
is  making  progress.  If  the  sheep  are  on 
the  shoulder  of  the  shepherd,  they  are 
always  getting  nearer  the  fold.  With  some, 
the  shepherd  takes  long  steps.  Dear 
Christians,  you  should  be  advancing,  get- 
ting higher,  nearer  to  Canaan,  riper  for 
glory.     In  the  south  of  Russia,  the  coun- 

*  This  refers  to  his  journey  to  Palestine  in  1839, 


28  WANDERINGS    OP 

try  is  of  vast  plains,  rising  by  steps.  Dear 
friends,  you  should  get  on  to  a  higher 
place,  up  another  step  every  Sabbath  day. 
In  travelling,  you  never  think  of  making  a 
house  in  the  wilderness.  So,  dear  friends, 
do  not  take  up  your  rest  here ;  we  are 
journeying.  Let  all  your  endeavours  be 
to  get  on  in  your  journey." 

We  would  earnestly  invite  you,  gentle 
reader,  to  accompany  us  in  our  pilgrimage 
to  the  heavenly  country.  We  would  beseech 
you,  with  the  utmost  compassion  for  your 
immortal  soul,  to  forsake  the  path  of  death, 
and  follow  the  way  of  life — the  way  to 
undying  glory  and  felicity.  In  a  word,  we 
would  most  affectionately  say  to  you  as 
Moses  did  to  Hobab,  '^  We  are  journeying 
unto  the  place  of  which  the  Lord  said,  I 
will  give  it  you  :  come  thou  with  us,  and 
we  will  do  thee  good :  for  the  Lord  hath 
spoken  good  concerning  Israel." 


A    PILGRIM.  29 


CHAPTER  II. 

COMMENCEM^T     OF     THE     CHRISTIAN'S     JOURNEY- 
DIFFICULTIES    IN    THE     WAY. 

"  We  must  through  much  tribulation  enter  into 
the  kingdom  of  God." — Acts  xiv.  22. 

Let  us  adore  the  grace  that  seeks 
To  draw  our  hearts  above  ! 
Attend,  'tis  God  the  Saviour  speaks, 
And  every  word  is  love. 

No  man  begins  the  journey  to  the  hea- 
venly home,  until  by  the  gracious  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  his  soul  is  attracted 
to  Christ,  the  living  way,  the  truth,  and 
the  life.  At  that  happy  hour  when  the 
heart  is  opened,  and  the  understanding 
enlightened  to  discern  spiritual  things,  the 
Saviour's  love  is  the  first  to  beam  in  mild, 
Bweet;  constraining  influence  upon  the  soul 


30  WANDERINGS    OP 

of  the  renewed  man.  He  wonders  that  he 
was  not  able  before  to  discern  the  beauty, 
the  excellence  and  glory  of  Immanuel. 
Now,  Jesus  appears  to  him  the  chiefest 
among  ten  thousand,  and  altogether  lovely. 
Now,  he  is  ready  to  exclaim,  ^'  ]\Iy  beloved 
is  mine,  and  I  am  his.  Whom  have  I  in 
heaven  but  thee  ?  and  there  is  none  upon 
earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee.'' 

Thus  enlightened  by  divine  grace,  the 
pilgrim  turns  from  the  City  of  Destruction 
to  the  Heavenly  Mansions.  He  leaves 
the  crowded  road  which  leadeth  to  eternal 
darkness  and  woe,  and  enters  on  the  narrow 
pathway  that  conducts  the  weary  traveller 
to  realms  of  light  and  bliss.  The  star  of 
Bethlehem  is  his  guide, — the  promises  of 
God's  word,  his  rod  and  staff;  and  heaven, 
his  everlasting,  happy  home.  His  views 
are  now  elevated  above  the  decaying  objects 
around  him.    His  affections  are  placed  upon 


A    PILGRIM.  31 

things  above.  He  contemplates  witli  rap- 
turous delight  the  bleeding  glories  of  Im- 
manuel,  and  the  shining  abode  of  Zion's 
pilgrims  in  the  celestial  kingdom.  He  is 
risen  with  Jesus.  He  has  become  a  spirit- 
ually minded  man.  He  lives  and  walks 
by  faith  in  the  Son  of  God.  Though  in 
the  world,  he  is  no  longer  of  it ;  but  belongs 
to  the  kingdom  of  Jesus  Christ.  As  an 
heir  of  glory,  as  a  traveller  to  the  skies,  as 
an  expectant  of  eternal  bliss,  he  looks  above 
and  beyond  the  troublesome  scenes  of  a 
fleeting  pilgrimage.  He  enjoys  the  charm- 
ing and  sublime  prospect  beyond  the  pre- 
cincts of  time  !  He  beholds  in  that  bris-hter 
world,  an  ocean  of  glory,  without  a  shore, 
and  without  a  storm  ! 

As  the  Christian  pursues  his  journey, 
with  his  eye  fixed  on  the  solemn  realities 
of  eternity,  earth  and  sublunary  grandeur 
appear  to  him  as  transitory  as  the  morning 


32  WANDERINGS   OP 

cloud  and  early  dew,  compared  with  those 
immeasurable  ages  of  bliss,  wbicli  roll  be- 
fore his  transported  vision. 

A  traveller  on  his  journey  loves  to  cherish 
the  endearing  thoughts  of  home  and  do- 
mestic happiness.  Nothing  is  so  dear  to 
him  in  all  his  wanderings  as  the  fireside 
of  his  fathers — the  land  of  his  birth.  In 
like  manner,  he  who  has  been  constrained 
by  the  Saviour's  love  to  begin  the  blessed 
journey  from  the  wilderness  of  this  world 
to  the  heavenly  Canaan,  will  delight  to 
meditate  on  the  riches  and  glory  of  his 
Father's  house,  in  the  pure,  unclouded 
realms  of  eternal  day.  The  Jerusalem 
above  will  be  dearer  to  him  than  any 
earthly  object.  His  language  will  be : 
^'  If  I  forget  thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my 
right  hand  forget  her  cunning.  If  I  do 
not  remember  thee,  let  my  tongue  cleave 
to  the  roof  of  my  mouth ;  if  I  prefer  not 


A   PILGRIM.  83 

Jerusalem  above  mj  chief  joj."  In  every 
stage  of  his  pilgrimage,  the  Christian  loves 
to  think  of  that  better  laud,  his  true, 
abiding  home,  where  he  shall  sing  tri- 
umphant songs  of  praise  to  his  Kedeemer, 
and  his  God. 

We  have  thus  hinted  at  the  pleasing 
view  which  opens  to  him  from  whose  eyes 
the  scales  of  unbelief  have  fallen, — who  is 
enabled  to  look  at  eternal  things  in  the  light 
of  God's  word ;  and  who  has  set  out  upon 
the  Christian's  journey,  to  the  celestial 
city.  We  shall  now  notice  a  few  of  the 
difficulties  which  lie  in  the  way  to  glory; 
for  no  sooner  does  the  pilgrim  enter  on  the 
path  of  the  just  than  he  meets  with  obsta- 
cles. We  mention  three  sources  from  which 
the  Christian  may  expect  to  meet  with 
great  opposition  in  fighting  the  good  fight 
of  faith. 

1.  Tlie  World. — The  world  with  its  sin- 
3 


34  WANDERINGS    OF 

ful  pleasures  and  enjoyments  is  calculated 
to  captivate  the  affections,  enchain  thfe 
heart  and  impede  the  pilgrim's  progress  to 
the  heavenly  rest.  A  thousand  fascina- 
ting charms  are  thrown  around  his  path- 
way through  this  bewildering  world.  In 
city  and  in  country  ;  on  land  and  on  sea — 
everyicherey  the  soldier  of  the  cross  is  sur- 
rounded by  spiritual  dangers  and  difficul- 
ties. 

Love  of  the  world  is  one  great  means  of 
retarding  our  journey  to  the  skies.  O, 
how  many  have  turned  aside  from  following 
the  blessed  Jesus,  by  placing  all  their  af- 
fections upon  this  present,  fleeting  scene, 
which  in  a  very  few  years  at  most  will 
profit  them  nothing  !  "  Demas  hath  forsa- 
ken me  having  loved  this  present  world." 
See  to  it.  Christian,  that  you  love  not  the 
world.  By  faith  behold  the  cross  of  Christ, 
and  the  bleeding  glories  of  Calvary,  and 


APILGRIM.  35 

this  world  with  all  its  riches  and  honours 

will  become  a  dim  and  dj'ing  object  in  your 

view. 

"  Then  pilgrim,  let  thy  joys  and  fears 
On  time  no  longer  le.in  ; 
But  henceforth  all  thy  hopes  and  fears 
From  earth's  affections  wean." 

Obey  the  warning  voice  of  mercy  if  you 
would  reach  the  blissful  shore  :  "  Love  not 
the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are  in 
the  world.  If  any  man  love  the  world,  the 
love  of  the  Father  is  not  in  him.'' 

Notwithstanding  the  Christian's  endea- 
vours to  live  above  the  world,  and  near  to 
God,  how  often  is  he  compelled  to  cry  out 
with  the  Psalmist :  ^'  My  soul  cleaveth  unto 
the  dust :  quicken  thou  me  according  to 
thy  word." 

*'  From  earth,  and  all  its  empty  joys, 
Blest  Jesus,  set  me  free ; 
How  vain  the  worldling's  gilded  toys, 
Compared  with  heaven  and  thee  I 


36  WANDERINGS    OF 

Thou  art  my  hope,  my  way,  my  bliss, 

My  glory,  and  my  crown  ; 
Descend,  thou  blessed  Prince  of  Peace, 

And  make  my  heart  thy  throne." 

We  must  also  expect  to  meet  with  oppo- 
sition from  an  unbelieving  world.     Those 
who  have  their  part  and  portion  here  do 
not  love  them  who  have  chosen  a  better 
inheritance  above.    The  world  hates  a  true 
follower  of  the  Lamb.     Jesus  was  himself 
the  object   of  their  hatred.      No  wonder 
then  that  his  followers  should  meet  with 
the  same  reception  from  unbelievers.    The 
Saviour   says   to   his    disciples,    "  If  the 
world  hate  you,  ye  know  that  it  hated  me 
before  it  hated  you.     If  ye  were  of  the 
world,  the  world  would   love  his  own  ;  but 
because  ye  are  not  of  the  world,  but  I  have 
chosen  you  out  of  the  world,  therefore  the 
world   hateth   you."      It   has   been  truly 
said  that  if  we  are  faithful,  we  must  indeed 


A    PILGRIM.  37 

expect  reproach ;  if  we  boldly  confess 
Christ  before  men,  and  steadily  maintain 
that  marked  distinction  which  forms  the 
line  of  separation  between  the  church  and 
the  world,  we  must  submit  to  have  our 
names  cast  out  as  evil. 

2.  The  Devil. — The  Christian  pilgrim 
will  meet  with  opposition  from  Satan.  ''  For 
we  wrestle  not  against  flesh  and  blood,  but 
against  principalities,  against  powers,  against 
the  rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world, 
against  spiritual  wickedness  in  high  places." 
The  inspired  writers  give  us  directions 
how  we  are  to  meet  and  vanquish  this  arch 
enemy  of  souls.  ''Be  sober,  be  vigilant; 
because  your  adversary,  the  devil,  as  a 
roaring  lion,  walketh  about,  seeking  whom 
he  may  devour ;  whom  resist  steadfast  in  the 
faith.''  1  Peter,  v.  8,  9.  "Resist  the  devil, 
and  he  will  flee  from  you.''  James,  iv.  7 
"  Put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God,  that  ye 


38  WANDERINGS    OF 

may  be  able  to  stand  against  tlie  wiles  of 
the  devil.  Stand  therefore,  having  your 
loins  girt  about  with  truth,  and  having  on 
the  breast-plate  of  righteousness  ;  and  your 
feet  shod  with  the  preparation  of  the  gospel 
of  peace ;  above  all,  taking  the  shield  of 
faith,  wherewith  ye  shall  be  able  to  quench 
all  the  fiery  darts  of  the  wicked.  And 
take  the  helmet  of  salvation,  and  the  sword 
of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God; 
praying  always  with  all  prayer  and  sup- 
plication in  the  Spirit,  and  watching  there- 
unto with  all  perseverance  and  supplica- 
tion for  all  saints."  Eph.  vi.  11,  18  Let 
us  follow  this  advice,  and  we  shall  win  a 
glorious  victory,  and  receive  an  immortal 
crown.  The  God  of  peace  shall  bruise 
Satan  under  our  feet  shortly.  In  the  arms 
of  Jesus  we  shall  be  safe,  eternally  safe 
from  the  attacks  of  our  subtle  adversary. 
Satan  will  never  be  able  to  pluck  a  single 


APILGRIM.  39 

believino;  soul  from  the  hands  of  an  Al- 
mighty  Saviour.  Animated  by  such  a 
consideration,  let  us  press  forward  in  our 
pilgrimage,  armed  with  the  panoply  of 
Heaven  ;  and  in  a  little  while  the  Satanic 
conflict  will  be  over ;  then  we  shall  take 
up  sweet,  unending  songs  of  triumph  in 
that  happy  place,  where  the  wicked  cease 
from  troubling,  and  where  the  weary  are  at 
rest. 

3.  The  Flesh. — Another  enemy,  with 
which  the  Christian  will  have  to  contend 
until  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on  im- 
mortality, is  the  flesh.  As  the  believer  is 
never  perfectly  sanctified  in  this  life,  the 
remains  of  corruption  in  his  heart  must 
be  a  source  of  continual  annoyance  to  him, 
in  coming  up  from  the  wilderness  to  the 
land  of  perfection  and  bliss.  Here,  the 
flesh  lusteth  againat  the  spirit,  and  the 
spirit  against  the  flesh.     The  Canaanites 


40  WANDERINGS   OP 

are  still  in  the  land ;  and  the  soldier  of 
the  cross  must  be  always  on  his  guard, 
lest  they  surprise  and  overcome  him. 
"  The  remainders  of  corruption  require 
continual  watchfulness  and  circumspection, 
lest  they  increase  and  regain  their  former 
possession  of  the  heart.  Sin  still  dwelling 
in  the  believer,  causes  that  warfare  which 
must  never  cease  till  this  body  is  laid  in 
the  grave,  never  more  to  harass  the  dis- 
embodied spirit,  encircled  with  heavenly 
glory.''  How  often  has  the  remaining  de- 
pravity of  the  human  heart  made  the  good 
man  weep  and  bend,  as  under  an  insup- 
portable load,  and  long  to  be  freed  from 
the  bitter  thraldom  of  sinful  flesh !  This 
made  Paul  cry  out  in  the  bitterness  of  his 
soul,  "  0  wretched  man  that  I  am !  who 
shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this 
death  V  But  almost  with  the  same  breath 
he  exclaims,  as  ho  sees  the  great  Deliverer, 


A   PILGRIM.  41 

"  I  thank  God,  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord/'  Here,  then,  is  our  streni:th  and 
deliverance.  Jesus  is  the  salvation  of 
Israel.  In  him  we  shall  obtain  complete 
dominion  over  the  corruptions  of  our  nature. 
How  reanimating  to  hear  that  sweet  pro- 
mise whispered  in  our  ears,  while  we  are 
still  in  an  enemy's  land,  "  My  grace  is 
sufficient  for  thee :  for  my  sirength  is 
made  perfect  in  weakness." 

Then,  if  we  would  overcome  all  the 
difficulties  which  lie  in  our  pathway  to 
immortal  bliss — if  we  would  reach  the 
happy  shores  of  Immanuel's  laud — let 
us  follow  the  advice  of  the  apostle.  "  Let 
us  cast  off  the  works  of  darkness ;  let  us 
put  on  the  armour  of  light;  let  us  walk 
honestly,  as  in  the  day;  not  in  rioting 
and  drunkenness ;  not  in  chambering  and 
wantonness;  not  in  strife  and  envying. 
But;  above  all,  let  us  put  on  the  Lord 


42  WANDERINGS    OP 

Jesus  Christ,  and  make  not  provision  for 
the  flesh  to  fulfil  the  lusts  thereof." 

What  a  glorious  reward  is  held  forth  to 
him  who  is  true  to  the  cause  of  Christ 
throughout  his  pilgrimage  on  earth  !  "  Be 
thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  crown  of  life."  0  what  unutterable 
bliss  awaits  the  faithful  followers  of  Jesus 
in  that  eternal,  glorious  world  toward  which 
they  are  daily  advancing  !  And  how  much 
is  there  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  to  animate 
us  in  struggling  amid  the  sorrows  and  con- 
flicts of  the  Christian  course  !  They  tell  us 
that  all  the  riches  and  glories  of  the  heaven- 
ly Canaan  are  to  be  enjoyed  through  the 
ceaseless  ages  of  eternity,  by  those  who 
have  overcome  by  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

The  cheering  language  of  the  Saviour  is, 
"  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I  give  to  eat 
of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of 
the  Paradise  of  God."  And  again  ;  ^'  Him 


A  PILGRIM.  43 

that  overcometh,  will  I  make  a  pillar  in  the 
temple  of  my  God,  and  he  shall  go  no  more 
out.  He  that  overcometh  shall  inherit  all 
things  :  and  I  will  be  his  God,  and  he  shall 
be  my  son.'' 


44  WANDERINGS    OP 


CHAPTER  III. 

ENCOURAGEMENTS — PROVISION    BY    THE    WAY. 

"Bread  shall  be  given  him;  his  waters  shall  be 
sure." — Is.  xxxiii.  16. 

"  I  thirst ! — 0  God,  great  Source  of  love  ! 
Infinite  Life,  streams  from  above. 

0  give  one  drop  and  let  me  live  ! 
The  barren  world  has  nought  to  give : 
No  solace  have  its  streams  for  me ; 

1  thirst  alone  for  heaven  and  thee." 

When  tlie  Israelites  were  marcliing 
tlirough  the  burning  wilderness  of  Arabia 
to  the  promised  land,  God  nourished  them 
with  bread  from  heaven,  and  with  water 
from  a  smitten  rock.  Then  he  opened  the 
doors  of  heaven,  and  rained  down  manna 
upon  them  to  eat,  and  gave  them  of  the 


A    P  I  L  G  R  I  M  .  45 

corn  of  heaven.  "  Man  did  eat  angels' 
food ;  He  sent  them  moat  to  the  full.  He 
clave  the  rock  in  the  wilderness,  and  gave 
them  drink  as  out  of  the  great  depths.  He 
brought  streams  also  out  of  the  rock,  and 
caused  waters  to  run  down  like  rivers.^' 
Psalm  Ixxviii.  The  same  is  true,  in  a 
spiritual  sense,  of  Zion's  pilgrims,  who  are 
journeying  through  this  barren,  wilderness 
world  to  the  happy  Canaan  above.  They 
are  encircled  in  the  same  everlasting  arms. 
Their  wants  are  supplied  by  the  same  al- 
mighty hand.  They  eat  of  the  hidden 
manna,  and  drink  of  the  water  of  life. 
How  beautifully  is  this  comparison  illus- 
trated by  the  Christian  poet ! 

*'  When  Israel  by  divine  command 
The  pathless  desert  trod, 
They  found,  though  'twas  a  barren  land, 
A  sure  resource  in  God. 
A  cloudy  pillar  marked  their  road, 
And  screened  them  from  the  heat  ; 


46  WANDERINGSOP 

From  the  hard  rocks  the  water. flowed, 
And  manna  was  their  meat. 

Like  them  we  have  a  rest  in  view, 

Secure  from  adverse  powers  : 
Like  them  we  pass  a  desert,  too  ; 

But  Israel's  God  is  ours. 

Yes,  in  this  barren  wilderness, 

He  is  to  us  the  same, 
By  his  appointed  means  of  grace, 

As  once  he  was  to  them." 

A  gracious  Grod,  in  the  inJBnitude  of  his 
love,  has  provided  ample  provision  for  the 
refreshment  and  support  of  weary  pilgrims, 
in  passing  through  this  dark  vale  to  the 
joyous  realms  of  everlasting  light.  Here, 
he  has  instituted  the  precious  ordinances 
of  divine  grace  and  salvation  for  our  joy 
and  happiness,  till  we  come  to  worship  him 
in  his  temple  above.  As  our  kind  Hea- 
venly Father,  he  has  given  us  the  bread 
of  life.  Jesus  Christ  is  the  true  bread  from 
heaven,  with  which  the  souls  of  believers 


A    P  I  L  G  R  I  M  .  47 

are  nourished  in  their  lonely  pilgrimage. 
Says  the  Saviour,  "  I  am  the  bread  of  life  : 
he  that  cometh  to  me,  shall  never  hunger ; 
and  he  that  believeth  on  me,  shall  never 
thirst.  I  am  the  living  bread  which  came 
down  from  heaven  :  if  any  man  eat  of  this 
bread,  he  shall  live  for  ever :  and  the  bread 
that  I  will  give  is  my  flesh,  which  I  will 
give  for  the  life  of  the  world."  The  Is- 
raelites, in  their  wanderings  in  the  wilder- 
ness, were  fed  with  manna  ;  but  we,  in  our 
journey  to  a  better  land,  partake  of  the 
fulness  of  Jesus,  whose  flesh  is  meat  indeed, 
and  whose  blood  is  drink  indeed.  Here, 
in  this  wilderness, 

"  Jesus,  the  bread  of  life,  is  given 
To  be  our  daily  food  ; 
We  drink  a  wondrous  stream  from  heaven, 

'Tis  water,  wine,  and  blood. " 
Lord,  'tis  enough,  I  ask  no  more* 

These  blessings  are  divine  ; 
I  envy  not  the  worlding's  store, 
If  Christ  and  heaven  are  mine." 


48  WANDERINGS    OP 

Here,  we  drink  of  tlie  living  waters  of 
salvation — those  streams  of  immortal  joy, 
which  issue  from  the  pierced  side  of  a 
blessed  Redeemerj  for  the  refreshment  of 
thirsty  pilgrims,  wandering  through  the 
deserts  of  life.  The  perennial  fountain 
of  that  river,  whose  streams  make  glad  the 
city  of  our  God,  is  to  be  found  in  a  suffer- 
ing Saviour  -,  and  at  this  precious  fountain 
we  may  quench  our  thirst  for  ever. 

'^  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water 
that  I  shall  give  him,^'  says  Jesus,  '*  shall 
never  thirst;  but  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him,  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water 
springing  up  into  everlasting  life."  Here 
is  the  well  of  endless  life.  0  thirsty  soul, 
come  to  a  bleeding  Saviour,  and  drink, 
and  live  for  ever.  You  are  earnestly  invited 
to  come  to  the  fountain  of  life.  These 
living  waters  are  freely  offered  to  you,  to 
me,  to  one,  to  all.     This  is  the  language 


APILGRIM.  49 

of  redeeming  love :  "  IIo,  every  one  that 
thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters  :  and  he 
that  hath  no  money,  come  ye,  buy,  and 
eat ;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without 
money  and  without  price.''  Isa.  Iv.  1. 
''  The  Spirit  and  the  bride  say.  Come. 
And  let  him  that  is  athirst,  come.  And 
whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the  water  of 
life  freely."  Rev.  xxii.  17.  '^  I  will  give 
unto  him  that  is  athirst,  of  the  fountain 
of  the  water  of  life  freely."  Rev.  xxi.  6. 

When  the  children  of  Israel  left  the  land 
of  Egypt,  the  Lord  guided  them  through 
the  pathless  desert  by  a  pillar  of  cloud  and 
fire,  until  they  were  brought  to  the  borders 
of  Canaan.  Thus  the  great  Leader  of  his 
spiritual  Israel  has  kindled  a  light  in  this 
dark  and  dreary  land  to  guide  his  chosen 
people  to  that  glorious  realm  on  high,  where, 
it  is  said,  ''  The  Lord  shall  be  unto  thee 
an  everlasting  light^and  thy  God  thy  glory." 
4 


50  WANDERINGS    OP 

The  blessed  word  of  God  affords  the  Chris- 
tian traveller  light,  comfort,  joj,  and  pro- 
vision by  the  way.  Says  the  Psalmist : 
^'  Thy  word  is  a  lamp  unto  my  feet,  and 
a  light  unto  my  path.  This  is  my  com- 
fort in  my  affliction  ;  for  thy  word  hath 
quickened  me.  Thy  statutes  have  been  my 
songs  in  the  house  of  my  pilgrimage.  Thy 
testimonies  have  I  taken  as  a  heritage  for 
ever;  for  they  are  the  rejoicing  of  my 
heart.  How  sweet  are  thy  words  unto 
my  taste !  yea,  sweeter  than  honey  to  my 
mouth.'' 

In  the  Bible  there  is  every  thing  pro- 
vided for  the  needy  traveller  to  Zion.  "  It 
embodies  all,"  says  an  eloquent  living  di- 
vine,* "  that  a  Christian  in  this  pilgrimage 

*  Rev.  J.  B.  Waterbury,  D.  D.,  a  distinguished 
clergyman  of  Boston, — author  of  *'  Advice  to  a 
Young  Christian/'  "Who  are  the  Happy  ?"  «  Con- 
siderations for  Young  Men,"  &c.,  &c.    These  beau- 


A    PILGRIM.  51 

can  need.  It  is  his  only  chart  through  this 
tempestuous  life.  In  trouble,  it  is  his  con- 
solation ;  in  prosperity,  his  monitor ;  in 
difficulty,  his  guide.  Amid  the  darkness 
of  death,  and  while  descending  into  the 
shadowy  valley,  it  is  the  day  star  that  il- 
luminates his  path,  makes  his  dying  eye 
bright  with  hope,  and  cheers  his  soul  with 
the  prospects  of  immortal  glory.'' 

Ample  provision  is  set  before  the  pil- 
grim of  Zion  in  a  preached  gospel.  Here 
it  is  that  his  soul  is  refreshed  with  the 
richest  streams  of  divine  grace.  Here,  he 
draws  living  water  out  of  the  wells  of  salva- 
tion with  joy.  No  wonder,  then,  that  the 
child  of  God  loves,  above  all  other  places  in 


tiful  and  excellent  practical  treatises  vre  would 
earnestly  commend  to  the  attention  of  every  young 
disciple  of  the  Saviour.  They  are  the  produetiona 
of  an  able  and  pious  divine. 


52  WANDERINGS    OP 

this  world,  the  habitation  of  God's  house. 
No  wonder  that  his  language  is 

*'  I  joyed  when  to  the  house  of  Godj 
Go  up,  they  said  to  ine; 
Jerusalem,  within  thy  gates 
Our  feet  shall  standing  be." 

^'  How  amiable  are  thy  tabernacles,  0 
Lord  of  hosts  !  A  day  in  thy  courts  is  better 
than  a  thousand.  I  had  rather  be  a  door- 
keeper in  the  house  of  my  God,  than  to 
dwell  in  the  tents  of  wickedness.'^ 

But  the  most  abundant  provision  is  pro- 
cured for  needy  pilgrims  in  the  Lord's  sup- 
per. This  is  a  most  precious,  a  most  soul- 
ravishing  ordinance  of  grace.  Surely,  if 
there  is  a  time  when  the  Christian  is  per- 
mitted to  lie  down  in  green  pastures  by  the 
still  waters,  in  this  bleak  and  barren  world, 
it  is  during  communion  seasons,  when  he 
draws  around  that  holy  table,  and  meditates 
on  the  wonders  of  Calvary.     Then  it  is 


A    PILGRIM.  53 

Then  it  is  that  his  weary  soul  is  refreshed 
with  the  abundance  of  God's  grace,  and 
with  the  goodness  of  his  house.  Then  it 
is  that  he  reposes  with  the  greatest  delight 
under  the  shadow  of  Jesus  who  protects 
all  his  people  from  the  burning  wrath  of 
an  offended  God.  "  I  sat  down  under  his 
shadow  with  great  delight,  and  his  fruit 
was  sweet  to  my  taste.'' 

If  there  is  a  moment  this  side  of  heaven, 
when  the  Christian  traveller  seems  to 
breathe  a  purer  atmosphere  than  that  of 
earth,  it  is  when  seated  at  the  table  of  the 
Lord,  he  takes  into  his  hands  the  emblems 
of  Immanuel's  broken  body  and  shed  blood, 
and,  with  the  eye  of  faith  turned  towards 
Calvary,  views  that  immaculate  Saviour 
nailed  to  the  accursed  tree,  bleeding  from 
every  pore — in  his  unparalleled  love,  dying 
for  rebel  man,  and  by  his  vicarious  death, 
opening  the  way  to  God  and  to  glory. 


54  WANDERINGS    OP 

When  the  believing  communicant  ap- 
propriates Christ  and  his  righteousness,  as 
freely  offered- in  this  ordinance,  he  feels  as 
if  his  happy  spirit  were  fanned  by  the 
breezes  of  Paradise.  It  is  this  appro- 
priating act — this  feasting  on  Christ  cru- 
cified that  refreshes  the  weary  pilgrim  in- 
finitely more  than  all  the  enjoyments  of  a 
dying  world.  This  rich  provision  satisfies 
the  soul  as  with  marrow  and  fatness :  it 
fills  it  with  joy,  unutterable,  indescribable, 
and  full  of  glory.  Our  poor  pen  cannot 
describe  the  joy  and  peace  which  a  famish- 
ing soul  experiences  when  it  eats  of  the 
hidden   manna  and  drinks  of  the   living 

o 

water.  It  is  impossible  to  tell  how  soul- 
reviving  it  is  thus  to  receive  a  crucified 
Saviour  as  ours — to  have  his  goodness  im- 
parted to  our  souls. 

"How  sweet  the  sacred  joy  that  dwells 
In  souls  renewed  by  power  divine  j 


APILGRIM.  55 

Where  Jesus  all  his  goodness  tells  : 
Oh  !  may  this  joy  be  ever  mine." 

Come,  then,  weary  pilgrim,  and  repose 
in  these  green  pastures,  and  bathe  in  the 
still  waters.  You  will  then  be  invigorated 
for  treading  the  pathway  through  the 
shades  of  earth  to  that  bright,  happy  region 
where  you  shall  for  ever  cat  of  the  fruit  of 
the  tree  of  life  in  the  midst  of  the  Para- 
dise of  God ;  and  where  you  shall  drink 
of  that  perennial  fountain  which,  issues 
from  the  throne  of  the  Eternal. 

How  happy  is  the  condition  of  Zion's 
pilgrims  even  in  this  land  of  sorrow ! 
Their  wants  are  all  supplied  out  of  Jesus, 
in  whom  it  hath  pleased  the  Father  that 
all  fulness  should  dwell.  Their  provision 
is  prepared  by  the  God  of  all  grace,  and  it 
is  sufficient.  '^  They  shall  feed  in  the 
ways,  and  their  pastures  shall  be  in  all 
high  places.     They  shall  not  hunger  nor 


56  WANDERINGSOP 

thirst,  neither  shall  the  heat  nor  sun  smite 
them :  for  he  that  hath  mercy  on  them 
shall  lead  them,  even  by  the  springs  of 
water  shall  he  guide  them.'^  Isa.  xlix.  9, 10. 
Go  then,  Christian  traveller,  on  your 
way  to  the  peaceful  shore  of  glory,  singing 
with  a  cheerful  heart,  the  pilgrim's  song  : 

"  The  Lord's  my  shepherd,  I'll  not  want ; 
He  makes  me  down  to  lie 
In  pastures  green  :  he  leadeth  me 
The  quiet  waters  by. 

My  soul  he  doth  restore  again  ; 

And  me  to  walk  doth  make 
Within  the  paths  of  righteousness, 

Even  for  his  own  name's  sake. 

Yea,  though  I  walk  in  death's  dark  vale, 

Yet  will  I  fear  none  ill  : 
For  thou  art  with  me ;  and  thy  rod 

And  staff  me  comfort  still. 

My  table  thou  hast  furnished 
In  presence  of  my  foes  j 


A    P  I  L  G  R  I  M  .  57 

My  head  thou  dost  with  oil  anoint, 
And  my  cup  overflows. 

Goodness  and  mercy  all  my  life 

Shall  surely  follow  me  ; 
And  in  God's  house  for  evermore 

My  dwelling  place  shall  be." 


58  WANDERINGS    OP 


CHAPTER   lY. 

THE  CHRISTIAN  PILGRIM  IN    THE  VALLEY  OF  BACA. 

"  Who  passing  through  the  valley  of  Baca." — Ps. 
IxxxiV'.  6. 

*'  God,  in  Israel  sows  the  seed 
Of  affliction,  pain,  and  toil ; 
These  spring  up  and  choke  the  weeds 
Which  would  else  o'erspread  the  soil : 

Trials  make  the  promise  sweet, 
Trials  give  new  life  to  prayer; 

Trials  bring  me  to  his  feet, 
Lay  me  low,  and  keep  me  there." 

Our  pilgrimage  to  the  Heavenly  Canaan 
lies  through  a  valley  of  weeping.  This 
earth  is  a  vale  of  tears :  and  it  is  a  path 
which  all  of  Zion's  pilgrims  must  tread 
until  they  come  to  that  place  where  the 
voice  of  weeping  shall  no  more  be  heard. 


A    PILGRIM.  69 

We  must  throuc^h  much  tribulation  enter 
into  the  kingdom  of  God.  Acts  xiv.  22.  Of 
God's  own  chosen  people,  it  is  said,  *'  Thou 
feedest  them  with  the  bread  of  tears ;  and 
givcst  them  tears  to  drink  in  great  mea- 
sure." The  followers  of  Jesus  must  not, 
therefore,  expect  to  find  a  smooth  road  to 
glory.  "  Thou,  0  God,  hast  proved  us  :  thou 
hast  tried  us,  as  silver  is  tried.  Thou 
broughtest  us  into  the  net;  thou  laidest 
affliction  upon  our  loins ;  thou  hast  caused 
men  to  ride  over  oar  heads ;  we  went  through 
fire  and  water ;  but  thou  broughtest  us  out 
into  a  wealthy  place."  Ps.  Ixvi.  10,  12. 

"-  Our  path  is  strewed  with  piercing  thorns ; 
Each  step  is  gained  by  arduous  fight, 
Yet  wait,  till  hope's  bright  morning  dawns, 
Till  darkness  changes  into  light." 

Some  of  the  trials  which  render  this 
world  a  vale  of  tears,  and  which  the  Chris- 
tian pilgrim  is  called  to  suffer,  are,  bodily 


60  WANDERINGS    OP 

sicknesSj  mental  anguish,  adversity,  and 
bereavement.  Who  has  not  experienced 
some  of  these  afflictions  ? 

1.  Our  limits  will  permit  us  to  notice 
only  the  last  mentioned — that  of  bereave- 
ment And  whose  cheeks  have  not  been 
moistened  by  the  tears  shed  for  the  loss  of 
some  dear  companion  ?  Who  has  not,  in 
this  land  of  death,  been  called  to  take  the 
last  look  of  some  loved  associate  in  his  toil- 
some pilgrimage  ? — to  see,  perhaps,  his 
dearest  friends  lowered  in  the  cold,  dark 
grave  ?  0,  how  trying  to  flesh  and  blood 
is  bereavement !  ''  This  is  the  bitterest 
of  all  earthly  sorrows.  It  is  the  sharpest 
arrow  in  the  quiver  of  God.  To  love  ten- 
derly and  deeply,  and  then  to  part ;  to 
meet  together  for  the  last  time  on  earth  j 
to  bid  farewell  for  time ;  to  have  all  past 
remembrances  of  home  and  kindred  broken 
up ;  this  is  the  reality  of  sorrow  ] — to  look 


A    PTLORIM.  61 

upon  that  face  that  shall  smile  on  us  no 
more  ;  to  close  those  eyes  that  shall  see  us 
no  more  ;  to  press  those  lips  that  shall 
speak  to  us  no  more  ;  to  stand  by  the  cold 
side  of  father,  mother,  brother,  sister, 
frieiul,  yet  hear  no  sound  and  receive  no 
greetinp:;  to  carry  to  the  tomb  the  beloved 
of  our  hearts,  and  then  to  return  to  a  des- 
olate home  with  a  blank  in  one  region  of 
our  souls,  which  shall  never  again  be  filled 
till  Jesus  comes  with  all  his  saints — this  is 
the  bitterness  of  grief;  this  is  the  worm- 
wood and  the  gall."  This  is  what  the  saints 
of  God,  as  well  as  the  men  of  the  world, 
are  daily  called  to  endure  ;  and  this  is  what 
renders  earth  such  a  vale  of  tears. 

2.  But  we  icould  also  notice  the  design 
which  God  has  in  ajffl'icting  the  righteous. 
It  is  to  prepare  them  for  that  better  land, 
where  there  is  fulness  of  joy.  It  is  to  draw 
their   aflfections  from  earth  to  Heaven — 


62  WANDERINGS    OF 

from  the  wilderness  to  Canaan.  It  is  to 
make  us  mindful  of  our  inheritance  above 
— to  make  us  feel  that  we  are  strans-ers  and 

O 

pilgrims  on  the  earth — to  make  us  cleave 
to  Jesus  by  faith — to  make  us  meditate 
ou  the  wonders  of  his  redeeming  love — 
to  qualify  us  for  a  participation  of  the 
joys  of  the  redeemed  before  the  throne. 
Our  light  momentary  affliction  worketh 
for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory.  "  x\ffliction/'  says  one, 
'^  not  only  profits  us  much  just  now,  but 
it  will  serve  us  much  in  eternity.  Then 
we  shall  discover  how  much  we  owe  to  it. 
All  that  it  is  doing  for  us,  we  know  not 
now,  but  we  shall  know  hereafter.  It  is 
preparing  for  us  a  ^  more  abundant  en- 
trance,' a  weightier  crown,  a  whiter  robe, 
a  sweeter  rest,  a  home  made  doubly  pre- 
cious by  a  long  exile  and  many  sufferings 
here  below.'' 


A    PILGRIM.  63 

''  I  wonder/'  says  that  godly  man  of 
other  days,  Rev.  Samuel  llutherford,  "  I 
wonder  many  times  that  ever  a  child  of 
God  should  have  a  sad  heart,  considering 
what  the  Lord  is  preparing  for  them/' 
"  When  we  shall  come  home,  and  enter 
into  the  possession  of  our  brother's  fair 
kingdom,  and  when  our  heads  *shall  feel 
the  weight  of  the  eternal  crown  of  glory, 
and  when  we  shall  look  back  to  pain  and 
suflferings,  then  shall  we  see  life  and  sorrow 
to  be  less  than  one  step  or  stride  from  a 
prison  to  glory,  and  that  our  little  inch 
of  time-suffering  is  not  worthy  of  our  first 
night's  welcome  home  to  Heaven."  "  How- 
ever matters  go,  the  worst  shall  be  a  tired 
traveller,  and  a  joyful  and  sweet  welcome 
home."* 

*  Says  that  excellent  divine,  Rev.  Horatius 
Bonar,  of  Kelso,  Scotland,  "Beloved,  *it  is  well/ 
It  is  good  to  be  afflicted.    Our  dajs  of  sufTeriog  here 


64  WANDERINGS   or 

8.  But  amid  all  our  affliction  here  we 
are  not  loitliout  strong  consolation. — The 
most  precious  promises  are  extended  to  the 
mourning  pilgrims  of  Zion.  There  is  one 
that  speaks  to  them  in  the  tenderest  love 
and  compassion.  ''  Grod  hath  comforted  his 
people,  and  will  have  mercy  upon  his  af- 
flicted." I§.  xlix.  13.  "  1,  even  I,  am  he  that 
couiforteth  you  /'Is.  li.  12.  There  is  an  eye 
that  watches  over  suffering  pilgrims.  There 
is  a  hand  that  smooths  the  rugged  passage 
to  the  realms  of  day.  There  is  a  friend  in 
Heaven,  who  feels  for  his  sorrowful  disci- 
ples in  this  vale  of  tears.  Jesus  is  that 
friend  who  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother; 

we  call  days  of  darkness ;  hereafter  they  will  seem 
our  brightest  and  fairest.  In  eternity  we  shall  praise 
Jehovah,  most  of  all  for  our  sorrows  and  tears.  So 
blessed  shall  they  then  seem  to  us,  that  we  shall 
wonder  how  we  could  ever  weep  and  sigh." — Night 
of  Weeping,  p.  174. 


APILGRIM.  65 

and  his  encouraging  language  to  his  af- 
liicted  followers  is,  "  Let  not  your  heart  be 
troubled  :  ye  believe  in  God,  believe  also 
in  me.  lu  my  Father's  house  are  many 
mansions."  "  He  that  goeth  forth  and 
weepeth,  bearing  precious  seed,  shall  doubt- 
less come  again  with  rejoicing,  bringing 
his  sheaves  with  him.'' 

There  is  a  joyful  harvest-home  for  weep- 
ing pilgrims  in  the  New  Jerusalem.  In 
that  happy  home,  no  tears  shall  ever  flow, 
through  the  glorious  ages  of  vast  eternity. 

"  There  purity  with  love  appears, 
And  bli?s  without  alloy; 
There  they  that  oft  had  sown  in  tears 
Shall  reap  agair^n  joy." 

Of  those  who  are  niarchino;  throu^-h  this 
vale  of  tears  to  Immanuel's  land,  our  o;ra- 
cious  Heavenly  Father  has  said  :  "  They 
shall  come  and  sing  in  the  heights  of  Zion  ; 
and  they  shall  not  sorrow  any  more  at  all : 
5 


66  WANDERINGS    OF 

for  I  will  turn  their  mourning  into  joy,  and 
will  comfort  them,  and  make  them  rejoice 
from  their  sorrow."  Then  shall  every  tear 
be  wiped  away  from  the  faces  of  all  the  re- 
deemed before  the  throne  of  God. 

4.  A  consideration  of  the  hrevitjj  of  their 
earthly  trials  ought  to  afford  relief  to  loeary 
pilgrims  who  are  looking  to  Jesus  for  eternal 
life. — They  will  not  be  long  in  the  valley 
of  Baca.  They  will  soon  have  reached  the 
heights  of  Mount  Zion.  Our  light  afflic- 
tion is  but  for  a  moment.  ''  Weeping  may 
endure  for  a  night,  but  joy  cometh  in  the 
morning.''  Ps.  xxx.  5. 

How  pleasing  is  the  thought  that  our  re- 
demption is  every  morfient  drawing  nearer. 
We  may  well  lift  up  our  heads  with  joy, 
for  the  coming  of  the  Lord  draweth  nigh. 
Our  journey  to  the  skies  is  but  a  short  one. 
We  are  rapidly  advancing  to  the  tearless 
region.    '^  Every  hour  that  strikes, — every 


APILaRIM.  67 

morning  that  dawns,  and  every  evening  that 
darkens  around  us,  brings  us  nearer  to  the 
end  of  our  pilgrimage.'^  A  few  more  tears 
of  sorrow ',  a  few  more  days  of  darkness, 
and  nights  of  weeping,  and  we  shall  ever 
be  with  the  Lord  in  that  better  country, 
where  we  shall  find  fulness  of  joy  in  the 
presence  of  Ilim  who  hath  loved  us  with 
an  everlasting  love — who  hath  washed  us 
from  our  sins  in  his  own  most  precious 
blood,  and  who  will  wipe  away  all  tears 
from  our  eyes.  Then  the  Lord  will  be 
our  everlasting  light,  and  the  days  of  our 
mourning  be  ended.  Even  so,  come,  Lord 
Jesus. 


68  WANDERINGS    OP 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    CHRISTIAN    ON   PISGAh'S    MOUNT. 

"  Thine  eyes  shall  see  the  king  in  his  beauty  :  they 
shall  beholfl  the  land  that  is  very  far  off." — Isa. 
xxxiii.  17. 

"  I  was  a  groveling  creature  once, 
And  basely  cleaved  to  earth; 
I  wanted  spirit  to  renounce 
The  clod  that  gave  me  birth. 

But  God  has  breathed  upon  a  worm, 

And  sent  me  from  above 
Wings  such  as  clothe  an  angel's  form — 

The  wings  of  joy  and  love. 

With  these  to  Pigsah's  top  I  fly, 

And  there  delighted  stand  : 
To  v^iew  beneath  a  shining  sky, 

The  spacious  promised  land." 

Before   the   children  of    Israel   gained 


A   PILGRIM.  69 

possession  of  the  land  of  Canaan,  tliey  were 
refreshed  with  a  taste  of  its  delicious  fruits. 
In  like  manner,  the  Christian,  before  he 
reaches  the  better  country,  has  many  sweet 
foretastes  of  celestial  joys. 

Blessed  be  God !  the  believer  is  not 
always  in  the  valley  of  weeping.  There  are 
times  when  he  seems  to  live  above  the 
world,  and  to  have  nothing  but  the  glories 
of  heaven  in  his  eye.  At  such  delightful 
seasons,  he  can  adopt  the  soul-stirring 
language  of  Dr.  Payson  :  "  The  celestial 
city  is  full  in  my  view.  Its  glories  beam 
upon  me,  its  breezes  fan  me,  its  odours  are 
wafted  to  me,  its  sounds  strike  upon  my 
ears,  and  its  spirit  is  breathed  into  my 
heart." 

The  views  of  the  pilgrim,  when  by  faith 
he  surveys  the  better  land,  are  similar  to 
those  of  Christian  when  showed  the  Delect- 
table    Mountains.     How    beautifully   and 


70  WANDERINGS    OF 

strikingly  is  this  described  by  the  immortal 
Bunyan  :  "  Then  I  saw  in  my  dream,  that 
on  the  morrow  he  got  up  to  go  forward,  but 
they  desired  him  to  stay  till  the  next  day 
also ;  and  then,  said  they,  we  will,  if  the 
day  be  clear,  show  you  the  Delectable 
Mountains  ;  which,  they  said,  would  yet 
farther  add  to  his  comfort,  because  they 
were  nearer  the  desired  haven  than  the 
place  where  at  present  he  was;  so  he  con- 
sented and  stayed.  When  the  morning  was 
up,  they  had  him  to  the  top  of  the  house, 
and  bid  him  look  south.  So  he  did,  and 
behold,  at  a  great  distance,  he  saw  a  most 
pleasant  mountainous  country,  beautified 
with  woods,  vineyards,  fruits  of  all  sorts, 
flowers  also,  with  springs  and  fountains, 
very  delectable  to  behold.  Isa.  xxxiii.  16, 
17.  Then  he  asked  the  name  of  the  coun- 
try. They  said  it  was  Immanuel's  land ; 
and  it  is  as  common^  said  they,  as  this  hill 


APILGRIM.  71 

is,  to  and  for  all  the  pilgrims.  And  when 
thou  comest  there,  from  thence  thoumayst 
see  to  the  gate  of  the  celestial  city,  as  the 
shepherds  that  live  there  will  make  appear." 

We  would  notice,  in  a  word  or  two,  hoio 
and  lohere  the  Christian  obtains  the  most 
glorious  views  of  that  Promised  Land  which 
lies  beyond  the  Jordan  of  death. 

1.  As  Moses  ohtained  a  vieio  of  the  earth' 
lij  Canaan  from  the  top  of  Pisgah,  so  we 
get  a  glimpse  of  heavenly  glory  from  the 
mount  of  meditation — our  spiratual  Pis- 
gnh. — "  By  meditation,'^  says  a  pious  old 
divine,  "  I  can  converse  with  God — solace 
myself  in  the  bosom  of  my  beloved ;  bathe 
myself  in  rivers  of  pleasures ;  tread  the 
paths  of  my  rest,  and  view  the  mansions 
of  my  eternity.  What  gainest  thou,  then, 
0  my  soul,  in  this  valley  of  tears  ?  Up  upoa 
the  mount,  and  view  the  Land  of  Promise. 
What  canst  thou  look  for  in  this  wilderness 


72  WA.NDERINGS    OF 

of  trouble  ?  Up  upon  the  wing,  and  take 
thy  flight  to  Heaven  :  let  thy  thoughts  be 
where  thy  happiness  is,  and  let  thy  heart 
be  where  thy  thoughts  are  ;  though  thy 
habitation  may  be  on  earth,  yet  thy  con- 
versation shall  be  in  Heaven/' 

2.  It  is  lohile  waiting  upon  God  in  the 
courts  of  his  house — ivhile  seated  at  the 
table  of  the  Lord,  that  the  Christian  pilgrim 
sometimes  obtains  the  brightest  vieics  of 
Heaven. — It  is  in  the  earthly  temple  of  the 
Lord  that  we  oftentimes  obtain  a  glimpse 
of  the  heavenly  mansion.  Here  it  is,  that 
a  sweet  promise  has  been  repeatedly  verified 
to  the  children  of  God  :  "  Thine  eyes  shall 
see  the  king  in  his  beauty ;  they  shall  be- 
hold the  land  that  is  very  far  off/' 

0  how  delightful  is  it  thus  to  glance  from 
earth  to  Heaven — from  a  dying  world  to 
one  of  immortal  bloom — from  the  turbulent 
scene  of  our  toil  and  suffering  to  the  peace- 


A    P  I  L  O  R  I  M  .  73 

ful  mansions  of  our  rest  and  felicity  !  There 
is  nothinj^  that  transports  the  soul  of  a 
weary  pilj^jrim  like  a  faith's  views  of  his 
eternal  rest  beyond  the  swelling  floods  of 
Jordan. 

''  IIow  rich  the  prospect  glows 
Beyond  this  vale  of  tears  ; 
Where  crystal  water  flows, 
And  verdure  crowns  the  year." 

Come  then,  fellow  pilgrim,  and  survey 
your  everlasting,  happy  home.  Ascend 
the  IMount  of  Pisgah,  and  behold  the  glo- 
rious land  before  you.  View  the  celestial 
city,  with  its  twelve  gates  of  pearls,  and 
its  streets  of  gold,  enlightened  by  the  glory 
of  God  and  the  Lamb.  See  the  river  of 
pleasure,  with  its  crystal  streams,  flowing 
from  the  eternal  throne;  and  the  tree  of 
life,  with  its  twelve  manner  of  fruits,  stand- 
ing in  the  midst  of  the  Paradise.  Behold 
the  countless  throng  of  the  redeemed  be- 
fore the  throne.     Hear  their  sweet  melo- 


74  WANDERINGS    OP 

dious  strains,  which  shall  ever  gladden  the 
realms  above:  "Unto  Him  that  loved  us, 
and  washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own 
blood,  and  hath  made  us  kings  and  priests 
unto  God  and  his  Father;  to  him  be  glory 
and  dominion  for  ever  and  ever.  Amen." 
"Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to 
receive  power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom, 
and  strength,  and  honour,  and  glory,  and 
blessing.'^ 

"  There  shall  the  ransomed  throng 
A  Saviour's  love  record ; 
And  shout  in  everlasting  song, 
Salvation  to  the  Lord." 

Above  all,  contemplate  your  blessed  Re- 
deemer, seated  on  his  great  white  throne, 
encircled  with  heavenly  glory.  Look  at 
the  king  in  his  beauty.  It  is  the  sight  of 
a  glorified  Saviour  that  will  make  the  hea- 
ven of  the  believer.  Endeavour  now,  by 
the  eye  of  faith,  to  behold  the  Lord  Jesus 


APILGRIM.  75 

in  all  his  matchless  beauty  and  excellence. 
Contemplate  his  glorious  character  3  his  in- 
finite mercy;  his  unparalled  condescen- 
sion, and  his  boundless  love.  There  is 
enough  in  Jesus  to  employ  the  soul  in  rap- 
turous meditation  through  a  vast  eternity. 
His  excellence,  his  goodness,  and  his  love 
can  never  be  fathomed.  0,  then,  keep 
your  eye  fixed  on  this  adorable  Saviour, 
while  you  sojourn  in  this  vale  of  tears; 
and  in  a  little  while  you  shall  see  him  as 
he  is, — face  to  face,  and  ascribe  to  him 
unceasing  praise. 

How  reviving  to  the  weary  Christian 
traveller,  from  the  top  of  Pisgah,  is  a  view 
of  his  distant,  happy  home  in  the  heavenly 
Canaan  !  His  feelings  on  this  delightful 
spot  are  well  expressed  in  the  following 
beautiful  lines  of  Newton  : 

"As  when  the  weary  traveller  gains, 
The  height  of  some  o'er  looking  hill, 


76  WANDERINGS   OF 

His  heart  revives,  if  cross  the  plains 
He  eyes  his  home,  tho'  distant  still. 

"While  he  surveys  the  much  loved  spot, 
He  slights  the  space  that  lies  between ; 

His  past  fatigues  are  now  forgot- 
Because  his  journey's  end  is  seen. 

Thus  when  the  Christian  pilgrim  views 

By  faith,  his  mansion  in  the  skies, 
The  sight  his  fainting  strength  renews, 

And  wings  his  speed  to  reach  the  prize. 
The  thought  of  home  his  spirit  cheers, 

No  more  he  grieves  for  troubles  past; 
Nor  any  future  trial  fears, 

So  he  may  safe  arrive  at  last. 
'Tis  there,  he  says,  I  am  to  dwell 

With  Jesus,  in  the  realms  of  day; 
Then  I  shall  bid  my  cares  farewell, 

And  he  will  wipe  my  tears  away." 


A    PILGRIM.  77 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE    POSTURE  OP    THE  CHRISTIAN  PILGRIM  IN  COMING 
UP  FROM   THE    WILDERNESS    OF    THIS    WOULD. 

"  Who  is  this  that  cometh  up  from  the  'wilderness 
leaning  upon  her  Beloved  ?" — Cant.  viii.  5. 

"  But  firm  as  on  a  rock, 

The  saint  on  Christ  relies  ; 
He  smiles  in  death's  dissolving  shock, 
And  mounts  into  the  skies  !" 

The  Jewish  church  came  up  from  the 
■wildernesSj  leaning  on  the  eternal  God  for 
her  support.  He  was  the  guide,  the  rock, 
the  salvation  of  his  chosen  Israel.  ''  He  found 
him  in  a  desert  land,  and  in  the  waste 
howling  wilderness ;  he  led  him  about,  he 
instructed  him,  he  kept  him  as  the  apple  of 
his  eye.  As  an  eagle  stirreth  up  her  nest, 
fluttereth  over  her  young,  spreadeth  abroad 


78  WANDERINGS    OF 

her  wings,  taketh  tliem,  bearetli  them  on 
her  wings  ;  so  the  Lord  alone  did  lead  him, 
and   there  was  no  strange  god  with  him." 
Deut.  xxxii.  10 — 12.  In  like  manner,  the 
Christian  church   in   passing  through  the 
deserts  of  life   has   Israel's   God  for   her 
leader.      The     same    gracious    eye     that 
watched  over  the  wandering  tribes  of  Israel 
in  their  long  journey  through  the  Arabian 
wilderness,    is     now    watching    with   the 
tenderest  care  and  love  over  that  chosen 
band,  who  have  forsaken  all  for  Christ,  and 
who  are   marching  through   a   changing, 
terrestrial  scene  to  a  higher,  brighter,  nobler 
world  on  high.     ^'  The  eye  of  the  Lord  is 
upon  them  that  fear  him  :  upon  them  that 
hope  in  his  mercy."  Psa.  xxxiii.  18.   "He 
that  toucheth  you,  toucheth  the  apple  of 
his  eye."  Zech,  ii.  8.  The  same  kind  hand 
that  led  Israel  of  old  to  the  promised  land, 
guides  the  humble  followers  of  Jesus  to 


APILGRIM.  79 

mansions  of  glory  in  the  skies.  ^'  The  Lord 
of  hosts  is  with  us."  Psa.  xlvi.  7.  The 
eternal  God  is  our  refuge  ;  and  underneath 
and  around  us  are  the  everlasting  arms. 

In  the  8th  chapter  of  the  Song  of  Solo- 
mon we  have  the  posture  of  the  pilgrim, 
advancing  to  the  celestial  city,  beautifully 
presented  to  us :  "  Who  is  this  that  com- 
eth  up  from  the  wilderness,  leaning  upon 
her  beloved  ?"  Here  we  see  the  blessed 
object  on  which  the  Christian  reposes,  while 
passing  through  this  scene  of  fluctuating 
and  perishing  mortality.  He  relies  entirely 
upon  Jesus  Christ,  the  beloved  of  his  soul. 
He  looks  to  no  other  source  for  protection 
and  support.  He  hopes  in  no  other  refuge. 
His  language  is,  "  Lord,  to  whom  shall  we 
go?   thou  hast  the  words  of  eternal  life." 

We  would  advert  to  a  few  ways  in  which 
a  believing  soul,  in  coming  up  from  the 
wilderness,  rests  on  Jesus,  the  sinner's 
friend. 


80  WANDERINGS    OF 

1.  He  rests  on  him  for  strength. — Tlie 
poor  pilgrim  has  no  might  in  himself;  but 
relying  on  Christ,  he  can  say  with  holy 
Paul,  "  When  am  I  weak,  then  I  am  strong/' 
What  a  happy  thing  it  is  to  feel  our  own 
weakness  and  nothingness  in  the  sight  of 
Heaven;  and  then  to  cast  ourselves  into 
the  strong  arms  of  Jesus — those  arms  of 
infinite  love  which  encircle  and  sustain  all 
the  righteous.  "  The  name  of  the  Lord  is  a 
strong  tower ;  the  righteous  runneth  into 
it,  and  is  safe."  Prov.  xviii.  10.  It  is  by 
leaning  upon  the  beloved  of  our  souls  that 
we  are  made  strong. 

Helpless  pilgrim,  would  you  obtain 
strength  for  gaining  the  joyful  heights  of 
Ziou  ?  Then  look  to  Jesus.  Rest  in  him 
now ;  and  in  a  little  while,  when  you  cross 
into  Canaan,  you  will  rest  with  him  in  that 
happy  land,  where  weariness  and  sorrow 
are  unknown.     Do  not  trust  to  your  own 


A    PILGRIM.  81 

strength ;  but  wait  upon  the  Lord,  and 
you  will  be  upheld  with  divine  grace  and 
power.  Then  you  will  be  enabled  to  press 
onward  with  the  greatest  speed  and  alacrity 
to  the  heavenly  mansions.  '^  The  Lord  is 
the  hope  of  his  people,  and  the  strength 
of  the  children  of  Israel."  Joel  iii.  16.  He 
giveth  power  to  the  faint ;  and  to  them 
that  have  no  might  he  increaseth  strength. 
''  Even  the  youths  shall  faint  and  be  weary, 
and  the  young  men  shall  utterly  fall ;  but 
they  that  wait  upon  the  Lord  shall  renew 
their  strength  ;  they  shall  mount  up  with 
wings  as  eagles ;  they  shall  run,  and  not 
be  weary ;  and  they  shall  walk,  and  not 
fa-int."  Is.  xl.  29—31. 

''  Blest  Jesus,  to  my  soul 

Thy  grace  and  strength  impart ; 
Till,  clothed  in  perfect  righteousness, 

I  see  thee  as  thou  art. 
As  I  wander  through  the  desert, 

Be  my  constant  help  and  stay  : 

6 


82  WANDERINGS    OF 

Shine  upon  my  path,  and  lead  me 
To  the  realms  of  endless  day." 

Happy  is  he  who  in  the  morning  of  life 
casts  all  his  care  upon  Jesus ;  who  takes 
the  Saviour  as  his  all  and  in  all — as  the 
strength  of  his  heart  and  his  portion  for 
ever.  He  may  sweetly  sing  as  he  is  tossed 
upon  the  surging  billows  of  life's  ocean, 
"■  0  Lord,  I  will  praise  thee  :  though  thou 
wast  angry  with  me,  thine  anger  is  turned 
away,  and  thou  comfortdest  me.  Behold, 
God  is  my  salvation  ;  I  will  trust,  and  not 
be  afraid  :  for  the  Lord  Jehovah  is  my 
strength  and  my  song;  he  also  is  become 
my  salvation.'' 

''  But  Jesus  is  my  living  way, 

My  only  trust,  my  hope,  my  stay  ; 
From  him,  I  all  my  strength  receive, 
And  daily  on  his  fulness  live." 

2.  The  Christian  cleaves  to  Jesus  hy 
faith — He  knows  that  his  Redeemer  liveth; 


APILGIRIM.  83 

and  he  rests  his  whole  weight  upon  him. 
He  lives  upon  an  unseen  Saviour.  Our 
life  in  the  wilderness  is  a  life  of  faith. 
Here,  we  live  by  fiuth  and  walk  by  faith. 
This  will  be  the  manner  of  our  life  until 
we  come  to  behold  our  Redeemer  face  to 
face  in  the  heavenly  Jerusalem,  and  enjoy 
all  the  blessedness  of  that  better  conntry 
above.  But  such  a  life  is  one  of  comfort 
and  joy  to  the  Christian  pilgrim  in  this 
wilderness  land.  "  0  !  the  blessedness  and 
joy  of  faith  !  How  does  it  bring  near,  and 
realize  a  view  of  Christ  in  glory !  Do  we 
indeed  see  Christ  by  the  eye  of  faith  ?  Is 
he  the  one  chief  object  of  our  souls  ?  Is 
he  precious  to  us  ?  Yerily,  then,  we  shall 
count  our  days  on  earth  toilsome  ones,  and 
long  for  the  full  fruition  of  him  in  glory.  It 
will  be  our  great  joy  to  see  him,  whose 
blessed  head  was  crowned  with  thorns,  and 
whose  lovely  face  was  spit  upon,  for  us ; 


84  WANDERINGSOF 

till  then,  let  us  live  by  faith  in  him,  con- 
stantly crying,  ^  Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come 
quickly/  " 

Though  the  believer  may  be  walking  in 
darkness,  yet  he  must  still,  by  faith,  lean 
upon  the  beloved  of  his  soul.  "  Who  is 
among  you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that 
obeyeth  the  voice  of  his  servant,  that  walk- 
eth  in  darkness,  and  hath  no  light?  let 
him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and 
stay  upon  his  God."  Is.  1.  10.  The  path- 
way to  the  celestial  mansions  is  often  ob- 
scured by  darkness.  Here,  at  best,  we  see 
but  through  a  glass,  darkly.* 

*'  Darkness  overspreads  us  here, 
But  the  night  wears  fast  away  : 
Jacob's  star  will  soon  appear, 
Leading  on  eternal  day  !" 

*  We  are  but  as  wayfaring  men,  wandering  in 
the  lonely  night,  who  see  dimly  upon  the  distant 
mountain-peak  the  reflection  of  a  sun  that  never  rises 
here,  but  which  shall  never  set  in  the  *new  heavens* 
hereafter." — Bonar 


APILGRIM.  85 

The  commission  of  sia  is  the  great  cause 
of  the  Christian  being  often  left  to  wander 
in  darkness.  *'  Your  iniquities/'  says  the 
propliet,  '*  have  separated  between  you  and 
your  God,  and  your  sins  have  hid  his  face 
from  you,  that  he  will  not  hear."  IIow 
sad  is  such  a  condition  !  When,  for  a  sea- 
son, the  light  of  God's  countenance  is  with- 
drawn from  the  believer,  he  is  led  to  cry 
with  pious  Job,  ''  Oh,  that  I  were  as  in 
months  past,  as  in  the  days  when  God  pre- 
served me  ;  when  his  candle  shiued  upon 
my  head,  and  when  by  his  light  I  walked 
through  darkness.''  ''Behold,  I  go  forward, 
but  he  is  not  there  ;  and  backward,  but  I 
dan  not  perceive  him  :  on  the  left  hand, 
where  he  doth  work,  but  I  can  not  behold 
him  :  he  hideth  himself  on  the  right  hand, 
that  I  can  not  see  him;"  and  with  the 
Psalmist,  "  My  soul  thirsteth  for  God,  for 
the  living;  God  :  when  shall  I  come  and 


86  WANDERIN  GS   OF 

appear  before  God?"  And  lie  can  also  say 
with  the  pious  Cowper,  who  trod  a  gloomy 
path  to  the  realms  of  day, 

"  0  for  a  closer  walk  with  God  ! 
A  calm  and  heavenly  frame  ! 
A  light  to  shine  upon  the  road 
That  leads  me  to  the  Lamb  I" 

The  duty  of  the  Christian,  walking  in 
darkness,  is  to  trust  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  and  stay  upon  his  God.  Let  him 
always  be  found  relying  upon  his  beloved ; 
and,  though  his  days  on  earth  may  be 
darksome  ones,  yet  at  the  "  evening  time" 
of  his  pilgrimage  "  it  shall  be  light."  How 
sweet  will  be  the  light  of  Heaven  to  such 
a  soul !  In  order  to  obtain  the  greatest 
light  and  comfort  now,  let  the  follower  of 
the  Lamb  be  found  diligently  improving 
the  means  of  grace  and  salvation,  which 
God  has  afforded  him.  "  Let  the  word  of 
Christ  dwell  in  you  richly  in  all  wisdom  j 


A    P  I  L  G  R  I  M  .  87 

teaching  and  admonishing  one  another  in 
psahus,  and  h^^uins,  and  spiritual  songs, 
singing  with  grace  in  your  hearts  to  the 
Lord."  Col.  iii.  10.  How  often  has  a  beam 
from  Heaven  darted  upon  the  pilgrim  while 
engaged  in  the  sweet  employment  of  prais- 
ing God ! 

"  Sometimes  a  light  surprises 

The  Christian  while  he  sings ; 
It  is  the  Lord  who  rises 

With  healing  in  his  wings ; 
When  comforts  are  declining, 

He  grants  the  soul  agaia 
A  season  of  clear  shining, 

To  cheer  it  after  rain." 

3.  The  heliever  rests  on  Jesus  for  rvjliU 
e'ousness  and  pardon. — The  language  of  a 
renewed  soul  is,  "  In  the  Lord  have  I 
righteousness  and  strength.  In  the  Lord 
shall  all  the  seed  of  Israel  be  justified,  and 
shall  glory."  Isa.  xlv.  25.  Man  had  no 
righteousness  of  his  own  to  justify  him  in 


88  WANDERINGS    OP 

sight  of  heaven.     Not  a  single  soul  could 
have  gained  the  celestial  Paradise  if  the 
Son  of   God  had   not  assumed  humanity, 
and  by  a  life  of  obedience  and  suffering, 
fulfilled  the  violated  law,  and  brought  in 
an  everlasting  righteousness.     Blessed  be 
God  !  the  Sun  of  Righteousness  has  arisen 
upon   our   benighted  world;    and    Zion's 
pilgrims  walk  in  his  light.     ^'  Christ  is  the 
end  of  the  law  for  righteousness  to  every 
one  that  believeth.''  Eom.  x.  4.     In  the 
23d   chapter   of  Jeremiah,   he  is  called, 
^^  The  Lord  our  Righteousness. ''  Every 
believer  in  Christ  is  arrayed  in  that  linen, 
clean  and  white,  which  is  the  righteousness 
of  saints.    His  robes  are  washed  and  made 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb. 

How  happy  is  the  condition  of  the  saint  I 
His  sins  are  all  cancelled  by  the  atoning 
righteousness  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour, 
whose  language  is,  '^  I,  even  I,  am  he  that 


A   PILGRIM.  89 

blotteth  out  thy  transgressions  for  mine 
own  sake,  and  will  not  remember  thy  sins." 
As  the  Christian  pilgrim  journeys  towards 
the  realms  of  peace,  leaning  upon  Jesus 
for  righteousness  and  pardon,  he  can  raise 
his  voice  in  triumphant  songs  of  praise  to 
his  Redeemer.  This  is  one  of  his  sweetest 
songs  in  the  house  of  his  pilgrimage  :  "  I 
will  greatly  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  my  soul 
shall  be  joyful  in  my  God ;  for  he  hath 
clothed  me  with  the  garments  of  salvation, 
he  hath  covered  me  with  the  robe  of  right- 
eousness.'^ 

He  can  also  look  forward  to  the  dark 
waters  of  Jordan,  and  say,  with  the  poet, 

"  When  death  shall  loose  the  silver  cord, 
Obedient  to  thy  mandate,  Lord, 
My  soul  shall  joy  and  peace  possess, 
If  Jesus  be  my  righteousness." 

4.  The  Christian  Pilgrim  relies  on  Jesus 
for  guidance  through  this  vale  of  tears  to 
the  peaceful  shore  of  a  blessed  eterniti/. — 


90  WA.NDERINGSOP 

"Thoushalt  guide  me  witli  thy  counsel,  and 
afterward  receive  me  to  glory.''  Psa.  Ixxiii. 
24. 

"  Jesus,  on  thee  our  hope  depends, 
To  lead  us  on  to  thine  abode  : 
Assured  our  home  will  make  amends 
For  all  our  toil  while  on  the  road." 

Amid  all  the  vicissitudes  of  a  sublunary 
scene — in  prosperity  and  adversity,  in 
health  and  sickness,  in  life  and  death,  the 
weary  pilgrim  reclines  on  the  Almighty 
Arm  of  Jesus,  and  all  is  well.  He  knows 
that  what  the  Saviour  has  promised,  he 
will  perform  ;  and  he  reads,  with  unspeak- 
able delight,  these  precious  promises  :  ^'  I 
will  instruct  thee,  and  teach  thee  in  the 
way  which  thou  shalt  go  :  I  will  guide  thee 
with  mine  eye.''  Psa.  xxxii.  8.  ''  And  the 
Lord  shall  guide  thee  continually,  and  satis- 
fy thy  soul  in  drought,  and  make  fat  thy 
bones  ;  and  thou  shalt  be  like  a  watered 


APILGRIM.  91 

garden,  and  like  a  spring  of  water,  wliose 
waters  fiiil  not."  Isa.  Iviii.  11. 

5.  The  believer  trusts  in  Christ  for  eter- 
nal life. — Of  that  little  flock  who  have 
chosen  the  better  land  for  their  inheritance, 
Jesus  says,  "  I  will  give  unto  them  eternal 
life ;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  neither 
shall  any  pluck  them  out  of  my  hand  '/' 
and  again  :  "  I  am  the  resurrection  and  the 
life  :  he  that  believeth  in  me,  though  he 
were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live  :  and  whoso- 
ever liveth,  and  believeth  in  me,  shall 
never  die."  This  is  the  most  precious 
promised  blessing  of  the  covenant  of  grace. 
No  created  mind  can  comprehend  the  full 
import  of  these  words — eternal  life  ! 
They  include  in  them  the  highest  bliss  of 
heaven.  Such  a  life  will  the  Saviour 
eventually  bestow  upon  those  who  now  re- 
pose in  him.  There  is  a  blissful  hour  fast 
approaching,  when  the  weather-beaten  pil- 


92  WANDERINGS    OP 

grim  shall  be  raised  above  tbe  storms  of 
life  by  the  Saviour's  hand.  Beyond  the 
swellino;s  of  the  Jordan  of  death  there  is  a 
peaceful  shore,  a  happy  land,  where  the 
pilgrims  of  Zion  shall  be  invested  with  the 
robes  of  immortality,  and  reign  with  Christ 
for  ever  and  ever. 

Fellow  pilgrim,  we  would  earnestly  invite 
you  to  come  and  put  your  trust  in  Him 
who  will  sustain  you  amid  the  heart-rending 
trials  of  this  vale  of  tears,  and  who  will 
bring  you  to  a  better  land — who  will  bestow 
upon  you  an  immortal  existence,  an  un- 
fading wreath  of  glory  in  that  world  beyond 
the  stars.  In  all  your  wanderings  through 
this  world,  cleave  closely  to  Jesus.  Live 
to  Him  who  died  for  you.  0,  may  the 
redeeming  love  of  the  blessed  Saviour 
constrain  you  to  be  wholly  his.  Live  with 
an  eye  fixed  upon  his  cross.  Turn  to  that 
sacred  mount,  and  behold  a  Saviour  ex- 


APILGRIM.  93 

pirinp:   for  your  salvation ;    hear  him  ex- 
claiming, ''  It  is  finished." 

**  0  the  sweet  wonders  of  that  cross, 

Where  Christ,  my  Saviour,  loved  and  died; 
Her  noblest  life  my  spirit  draws 

From  his  dear  wounds  and  bleeding  side." 

Go,  then,  and  live  upon  Christ.  Live 
iu  the  daily  contemplation  of  his  glorious 
atonement,  and  in  the  sincere  belief  of 
his  all-sufl&ciency  to  save  your  soul  May 
your  language  ever  be  that  of  an  enraptured 
Apostle ;  "  God  forbid  that  I  should  glory, 
save  in  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
by  whom  the  world  is  crucified  unto  me, 
and  I  unto  the  world." 

.  If  you  thus  live  by  faith  in  Christ,  and 
in  the  blessed  hope  of  a  glorious  immor- 
tality, you  need  not  fear,  at  the  close  of 
life,  to  tread  along  death's  dark  vale — to 
cross  Jordan's  swelling  stream  ',  for  in  that 
Bolemn  hour,  Jesus  will  sustain  and  comfort 


94  WANDERINGS   OP 

you  by  his  presence ;  and  God  will  redeem 
your  soul  from  the  power  of  the  grave ;  for 
he  shall  receive  you. 

"  0,  could  I  find,  from  day  to  day, 
A  nearness  to  my  God, 
Then  would  my  hours  glide  sweet  away, 
While  leaning  on  his  word. 

Lord,  I  desire  with  thee  to  live 

Anew  from  day  to  day, 
In  joys  the  world  can  never  give. 

Nor  ever  take  away. 

Blest  Jesus,  come,  and  rule  my  heart, 

And  make  me  wholly  thine, 
That  I  may  never  more  depart, 

Nor  grieve  thy  love  divine. 

Thus,  till  my  last,  expiring  breath, 

Thy  goodness  I'll  adore  j 
And  when  my  frame  dissolves  in  death. 

My  soul  shall  love  thee  more." 


APILGRIM.  95 


CHAPTER  VII. 

PASSAGE    OVER   THE    JORDAN    OF   DEATH. 

"When  thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will 
be  with  thee":  and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall 
not  overflow  thee." — Is.  xliii.  2. 

"How  sweet  the  hour  of  closing  day, 

When  all  is  peaceful  and  serene. 
And  when  the  sun,  with  cloudless  ray. 

Sheds  mellow  lustre  o'er  the  scene  ! 
Such  is  the  Christian's  parting  hour. 

So  peacefully  he  sinks  to  rest; 
When  faith,  endowed  from  Heaven  with  power, 
.   Sustains  and  cheers  his  languid  breast." 

As  the  Christian  pilgrim  is  about  to 
leave  the  wilderness  of  this  world  for  ever, 
he  has  to  cross  a  dark  stream.  The  Jordan 
of  death  rolls  between  this  world  and  the 
celestial   Canaan.      Before   they  obtained 


96  WANDERINGS    OP 

full  possession  of  tlie  promised  land  the 
Israelites  had  to  pass  over  Jordan ;  so  every 
traveller  to  the  Canaan  above  must  cross 
over  the  river  of  death,  before  he  is  admit- 
ted into  the  courts  of  Paradise,  and  obtains 
possession  of  the  heavenly  inheritance. 

In  the  3d  chapter  of  Joshua  we  have  an 
interesting  account  of  the  Israelites'  passage 
over  Jordan.  We  there  read  as  follows : 
"  And  it  came  to  pass,  when  the  people 
removed  from  their  tents  to  pass  over  Jor- 
dan, and  the  priests  bearing  the  ark  of  the 
covenant  before  the  people,  that,  as  they 
that  bare  the  ark  were  come  into  Jordan, 
and  the  feet  of  the  priests  were  dipped  in  the 
brim  of  the  water,  that  the  waters  which 
came  down  from  above  stood  and  rose  up 
upon  a  heap ;  and  the  priests  that  bare  the  ark 
of  the  covenant  of  the  Lord  stood  firm  on 
dry  ground  in  the  midst  of  Jordan,  and  all 
the  Israelites  passed  over  on  drj^  ground." 


APILGRIM.  97 

Now,  all  this  is  typical  of  the  believer's 
triumphant  passage  over  the  Jordau  of 
death.  "When  the  fainting  Christian  pil- 
grim conies  to  the  brink  of  this  last  swell- 
ing stream,  over  which  all  must  pass,  Jesus 
Christ,  our  Great  High  Priest,  who  bears 
the  everlasting  covenant  on  his  shoulders, 
goes  before  and  rolls  back  the  surging 
waves  that  the  ransomed  soul  may  pass 
safely  over  into  glory.  In  the  prospect 
of  dissolution,  the  saint  may  say,  with  a 
Christian  poet — 

*'A  swelling  Jordan  rolls  between, 

A  timid  pilgrim  I; 
But  gnice  shall  order  all  the  scene, 

And  Christ  himself  be  nigh. 
He  shall  roll  back  the  foaming  wave. 

Command  the  channel  dry  ; 
No  sting  hath  death,  no  victory  grave. 

With  Jesus  in  my  eye." 

"What  we  design  in   the  few  following 
pages,  is,  to  comfort  the  timid    Christian 
7 


98  WANDERINGS    OP 

in  the  prospect  of  death;  to  show  that 
Jesus  is  with  believers  in  the  dark  valley ; 
to  cite  some  of  the  last  words  of  eminent 
saints,  who,  sustained  and  cheered  by  the 
Saviour,  have  passed  over  Jordan  with 
songs  of  triumph  ;  and  to  contemplate  the 
happy  termination  of  the  Christian  pil- 
grim's journey,  and  his  joyful  entrance 
upon  the  rest  above. 

1.  The  precious  religion  of  Jesus  affords 
tJie  strongest  consolation  to  the  Christian 
pilgrim  in  the  view  of  death. — There  is 
no  reason  why  he  should  dread  its  approach. 
Its  terrors  are  subdued;  its  sting  is  ex- 
tracted; it  is  a  disarmed  enemy.  Death 
can  not  harm  the  child  of  God ;  but  for 
him  to  die  is  gain.  To  such  it  is  the  be- 
ginning of  everlasting,  celestial  joys — the 
daybreak  of  a  glorious  eternity.  It  is  only 
a  peaceful  slumber  in  Jesus — an  entering 
into  the  joy  of  the  Lord.     It  is  but  to  de- 


APILGRIM.  99 

part  from  a  land  of  sorrow  and  bereave- 
ment, and  be  with  Christ  in  those  happy 
reiiions  where  God  shall  wipe  away  all 
tears  from  the  eye.  To  the  Christian, 
"death  has  chano;ed  its  nature  and  its 
name.  Call  it  no  more  death;  it  is  the 
sweet  sleep  of  the  body,  deposited  in  its 
earthly  bed,  under  the  eye  of  the  Redeemer, 
till  the  morning  of  the  resurrection." 

Many  pious  Christians  are  held  in  bond- 
age by  the  fear  of  crossing  the  river  of 
death.  Their  feelings  with  regard  to  this 
subject  are  not  what  they  should  be.  They 
ought  to  rise  above  the  fear  of  dissolution  ; 
for  Christ  has  delivered  us  from  this  bond- 
age. He  has  achieved  this  victory  by  the 
assumption  of  humanity — by  destroying 
the  works  of  the  devil,  and  by  passing 
throuprh  the  swelling  Jordan  in  our  nature. 
'*  Forasmuch  then  as  the  children  are  parta- 
kers of  flesh  and  blood,  he  also  himself 


100  WANDERINGS    OP 

likewise  took  part  of  the  same ;  tliat  tlirougli 
death  he  might  destroy  him  that  had  the 
power  of  death,  that  is,  the  devil ;  and  de- 
liver them,  who  through  fear  of  death  were 
all  their  lifetime  subject  to  bondage."  Heb. 
ii.  14,  15.  The  Saviour  has  warmed  the 
cold  grave  for  his  disciples.  He  has  made 
an  easy  way  through  the  swellings  of  Jor- 
dan for  his  faithful  followers.  Why,  then, 
fellow  pilgrim,  are  you  afraid  to  cross  this 
stream  when  the  channel  is  dry ;  when  you 
see  the  footprints  of  your  Redeemer  in  the 
bottom  ;  when  death  is  but  a  sure  step  into 
glory  ?  Surely,  there  is  no  ground  for 
dismay  to  the  believer  in  that  solemn  hour 
which  terminates  his  earthly  pilgrimage  ; 
but  every  reason  for  joyfulness.  ''  For  we 
know  that  if  our  earthly  house  of  this 
tabernacle  were  dissolved,  we  have  a  build- 
iug  of  God,  a  house  not  made  with  hands, 
eternal  in  the  heavens."  2  Cor.  v.  i. 


A   PILGRIM.  101 

There  is  no  condemnation  to  the  be- 
liever; for,  being  justified  by  faith,  he  has 
peace  with  God,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  He  has  peace  during  his  pilgrim- 
age ;  he  has  peace  in  the  hour  of  death. 
In  Christ,  he  obtains  a  complete  victory 
over  death  and  the  gloomy  grave.  Washed 
in  the  atoning  blood  of  the  Saviour,  and 
clad  in  the  snowy  robe  of  his  righteousness, 
he  can  shout  forth  joyfully,  upon  a  dying 
bed,  "  0  death,  where  is  thy  sting  ?  0 
grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?  The  sting  of 
death  is  sin ;  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the 
law.  But  thanks  be  to  God,  who  giveth 
us  the  victory,  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." 

It  is  Jesus,  the  sinner's  Friend,  who  dis- 
arms death  of  its  terrors — who  makes  a 
dying  bed  so  easy  to  the  believer ;  hence 
many  a  once  timid  pilgrim  has  been  able 
to  say  in  his  last  moments,  "  Is  this  dying  ? 


102  WANDERINGS    OF 

Is  this  the  enemy  that  dismayed  me  so 
long,  now  appearing  so  harmless,  and  even 
pleasant  ?"  0,  how  reviving  to  think  that 

"Jesus  can  make  a  dying  bed 

Feel  soft  as  downy  pillows  are, 
While  on  his  breast  I  lean  my  head, 
And  breathe  my  life  out  sweetly  there." 

2.  But  Christ  is  with  Ms  chosen  people 
in  the  midst  of  Jordan. — His  precious  pro- 
mise is  :  "  When  thou  passest  through  the 
waters,  I  will  be  with  thee ;  and  through 
the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee." 
In  their  passage  through  death,  the  Lord 
upholds  and  cheers  the  souls  of  his  ran- 
somed ones  by  the  endearing  manifestations 
of  his  gracious  presence  and  wonderful  love. 

**  How  happy  is  the  dying  saint 

Whose  sins  are  all  forgiven  ; 
With  joy  he  passes  Jordan's  flood, 

Upheld  by  hopes  of  heaven. 
The  Saviour,  whom  he  truly  loved» 

Now  cheers  him  by  his  grace; 


A    PILGRIM.  103 

A  glory  gilds  his  dying  bed, 
And  beams  upon  his  face." 

Hence,  thousands  of  God's  children  have 
been  enabled  to  exclaim,  while  descending 
into  the  shadowy  vale,  *'Yea  though  I 
walk  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death,  I  will  fear  no  evil  :  for  thou  art 
with  me  :  thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  com- 
fort me."  It  was  the  soul-ravishing  man- 
ifestation  of  the  Saviour's  presence  and  love 
that  made  the  martyrs  so  joyful  at  the  stake ; 
and  it  is  this,  that  has  made  many  a  de- 
parting saint  burst  forth  with  rapturous  joy 
iu  such  language  as  this  :  "  Oh  !  why  is 
liis  chariot  so  long  in  coming  ?  Why  tarry 
the  wheels  of  his  chariot  ?  Come,  Lord 
Jesus ;  come  quickly  I" 

0,  what  amazing  mercy  does  Jesus  often 
bestow  upon  his  faithful  follower  in  the 
darksome  valley,  and  in  the  deep,  deep 
Jordan,  when  the  cold  hand  of  death  is 


104  WANDERINGS    OF 

*'  Jesus,  the  vision  of  thy  face 
Hath  overpowering  charms  ; 
Scarce  shall  I  feel  death's  cold  embrace, 
If  Christ  be  in  my  arms." 

3.  We  now  proceed  to  cite  the  dying  say- 
ings  of  a  few  eminent^  pious  Christians^ 
who  have  been  wonderfully  sustained  by  di- 
vine grace  during  their  passage  over  the 
Jordan  of  death. 

We  mention  tlie  following  glorious  ex- 
amples : 

David  Cargill  :  ^'  This  is  the  most  joyful 
day  that  ever  I  saw  in  my  pilgrimage  on 
earth.  My  joy  is  now  begun,  which  I  see 
shall  never  be  interrupted." 

Luther :  ''  Into  thy  hands  I  commit  my 
spirit ;  God  of  truth,  thou  hast  redeemed 
me." 

Thomas  Holland :  "  Come,  0  come. 
Lord  Jesus,  thou  bright  Morning  Star ! 
Come,  Lord  Jesus,  I  desire  to  be  dissolved 
and  to  be  with  thee." 


A    PILGRIM.  105 

John  Flavel :  ''  I  kuow  that  it  will  be 
well  with  me." 

Alexander  Henderson  :  "  I  am  near  the 
end  of  my  race,  hasting  home,  and  there 
was  never  a  schoolboy  more  desirous  to 
have  the  play,  than  I  am  to  have  leave  of 
this  world." 

Rev.  Thomas  Cartwright :  "  I  have 
found  unutterable  comfort  and  happiness, 
and  God  has  given  me  a  glimpse  of  heaven." 

John  Locke :  "  0  the  depth  of  the  riches 
of  the  goodness  and  knowledge  of  God." 

Kev.  James  II.  Evans :  ''  In  Jesus  I 
stand." 

Rev.  Augustus  M.  Toplady  :  "  I  believe 
God  never  gave  such  manifestations  of 
his  love  to  any  creature,  and  suffered  him 
to  live." 

John  Tennent:  ''  Welcome,  God  and 
Father — welcome,  sweet  Lord  Jesus  !  wel- 
come, death — welcome^  eternity.  Amen. 
ComC;  Lord  Jesus." 


106  WANDERINGS   OP 

Rev.  Samuel  Finley :  "  I  see  the  eternal 
love  and  goodness  of  Grod.  I  see  the  love 
of  Jesus.  Oil  to  be  dissolved,  and  to  be 
with  him  !  I  long  to  be  elothed  with  the 
complete  righteousness  of  Christ." 

Rev.  Dr.  Waddeli  :  ^'  Lord  Jesus,  re- 
ceive my  spirit.'^ 

Ralph  Erskine  :  "  Victory,  victory,  vic- 
tory !" 

John  Wesley  :  "  The  best  of  all  is,  God 
is  with  us." 

Felix  Neff :  ^'  Adieu,  adieu.  I  am  de- 
parting to  our  Father  in  perfect  peace. 
Victory,  victory,  victory !  by  Jesus  Christ  V 

Dr.  Bogue  :  ''  I  am  looking  to  that  com- 
passionate Saviour,  whose  blood  cleanseth 
from  all  sin." 

Dr.  Nevins  :  "  Death — Death  !  Now 
come.  Lord  Jesus — Bear  Saviour.' ' 

To  Dr.  Waugh  one  said,  ''  You  are  now 
in  the  deep  Jordan ;  have  you  any  doubt 


A   PILGRIM.  107 

I 

that  Christ  will  be  with  you  ?"  He  replied, 
''  Certainly  not !    Who  else  ?   Who  else  ?" 

llev.  J).  11.  Gillette  :  "  0  that  I  had 
strength  to  shout  !  I  feel  so  happy  ;  I 
hope  soon  to  be  able."  "  0,  the  precious 
Saviour  ;  what  is  the  world  to  me,  with  all 
its  vanity  ?  Give  me  Jesus.  Do  not 
weep  for  me,  I  am  going  home.'' 

llev.  Dr.  Alexander  Proudfit  :*  "  Wlien 
will  this  liu2;erin";  conflict  end  !  Oh  for  a 
speedy  and  easy  transition  !  Oh  for  de- 
liverance from  this  corruptible  body — 
this  body  of  sin  and  death  !  Come,  blessed 
Jesus,  dear  Saviour,  come  !  come  !  I  long 
to  depart." 

*  See  an  interesting  memoir  of  this  man  of  God, 
by  John  Forsyth,  D.  D. 

Dr.  Proudfit  was  long  a  pastor  of  the  Associate 
Reformed  Church  of  Salem,  N.  Y. ;  and  he  was  one 
of  the  most  pious  and  faithful  ambassadors  of  the 
cross  that  has  shone  in  the  church. 


108  WA  NDERINGS    OP 

Rev.  Dr.  John  H.  Rice  :  "  Mercy  is 
triumphant." 

Dr.  Nettleton  :  It  is  meet  to  trust  in  the 
Lord." 

Rev.  Robt.  Anderson  :  "  Peace  I  peace  ! 
How  sfracious  Grod  is  in  so  makino-  it  all 
peace  V 

Elisha  Macurdj  :  '^  The  Saviour  is  all 
my  comfort." 

Thomas  Cranfield  :  "  A  few  more  sighs, 
and  then" — 

Wilberforce  Richmond :  "  The  rest 
which  Christ  gives  is  sweet." 

Mrs.  Hannah  More  :  "  Jesus  is  all  in 
all.  God  of  grace,  God  of  light,  God  of 
love  :  whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee  ? 
It  is  a  glorious  thing  to  die."  Her  last 
word  was,  "  Joy." 

Mrs.  Isabella  Graham :  "  I  ha/e  no 
more  doubt  of  going  to  my  Saviour,  than 
if  I  were  already  in  his  arms." 


A    PILGRIM.  109 

Mrs.  Louisa  Munday  :  "  The  prospect  is 
to  me  anything  but  gloomy." 

Mrs.  Harriet  Wiuslow  :  "  How  good  is 
the  Lord  !" 

Maria  Fox  :  "  I  am  thoroughly  comfort- 
able.''" "  I  know  my  Saviour  loves  me,  and 
I  am  reposing  in  his  love." 

H.  W.  Fox  :  "  I  am  very  weak,  can 
scarcely  speak,  but  oh  !  happy  !  happy  !!" 
"  Jesus,  Jesus  must  be  first  iu  the  heart. 
He  is  first  in  mine,  yes,  he  is." 

Rev.  Thomas  Thomason  :  '^  This  is  a 
dark  valley,  but  there  is  light  at  the  end." 
''  Thanks  be  unto  God  for  his  unspeakable 
gift."  "  Lord  Jesus,  receive  my  spirit." 
''  Lord,  give  me  patience."  ''  I  hope  the 
Lord  is  coming  quickly." 

Thus  we  have  presented  a  few  dying 
sajdngs  of  several  pious  Christians  who 
passed  the  river  of  death,  upheld  by  divine 
grace.       Innumerable  other  similar  cases 


110  WANDERINGS   OP 

might  be  cited;  but  these  are  sufficient 
to  show  with  what  great  mercy  and  loving 
kindness  the  Lord  generally  deals  with  his 
people  in  the  hour  and  article  of  death.* 
Although  many  of  God's  children  have 
not  enjoyed  such  bright,  sensible  manifes- 
tations of  his  gracious  presence  in  their 
dying  moments — although  they  may  have 
gone  to  heaven  under  a  cloud,  yet  their 
passage  over  the  Jordan  of  death  was  as 
safe  as  that  of  the  most  joyful  believer. 

*  The  reader  who  is  desirous  of  pursuing  this 
subject  more  fully,  is  respectfully  referred  to  our 
Treatise  on  the  love  of  Christ,  where  he  will  find 
thirty-one  dying  testimonies  of  other  saints,  none 
of  which  are  included  in  the  above  ;  and  to  that  ex- 
cellent work  entitled  "  The  Grace  of  Christ,"  by  the 
Ptev.Dr.  Plumer — one  of  the  most  pious  and  faith- 
ful ministers  of  Jesus  Christ.  We  would  earnestly 
commend  this  volume  to  all  who  have  felt  the  sweet, 
constrianing  influence  of  the  grace  of  Christ  upon 
their  souls. 


A    PILGRIM.  Ill 

In  the  matchless  dream  of  Bunyan,  we 
have  an  admirable  description  of  the  tri- 
umphant passage  of  the  pilgrims  over  Jor- 
dan. There  we  find  the  most  timid  got 
over  as  safely  as  the  most  fearless.  The 
last  words  of  Ready-to-halt  were,  ''  Wel- 
come, life."  Thelast  words  of  Feeble-mind 
were,  "  Hold  out,  faith  and  patience."  The 
last  words  of  Despondency  were, ''  Farewell, 
night  I  welcome,  day  I"  Even  his  daugh- 
ter. Much-afraid,  ''  went  through  the  river 
singing  ;  but  no  one  could  understand  what 
she  said." 

But  how  transporting  were  the  last  words 
of  Mr.  Standfast !  ^'  This  river,"  said  he, 
*' has  been  a  terror  to  many;  yea,  the 
thoughts  of  it  also  have  often  frightened 
me ;  but  now  methinks  I  stand  easy,  my 
foot  is  fixed  upon  that  on  which  the  feet  of 
the  priests  that  bare  the  ark  of  the  cove- 
nant stood,  while  Israel  went  over  Jordan. 


112  WANDERINGS    OP 

Joshua  iii.  17.  The  waters  indeed  are  to 
the  palate  bitter,  and  to  the  stomach  cold; 
yet  the  thoughts  of  what  I  am  going  to, 
and  of  the  convoy  that  waits  for  me  on  the 
other  side,  do  lie  as  a  glowing  coal  at  my 
heart.  I  see  myself  now  at  the  end  of  my 
journey;  my  toilsome  days  are  ended.  I 
am  o'oino;  to  see  that  head  which  was 
crowned  with  thorns,  and  that  face  which 
was  spit  upon  for  me.  I  have  formerly 
lived  by  hearsay  and  faith ;  but  now  I  go 
where  I  shall  live  by  sight,  and  shall  be 
with  him  in  whose  company  I  shall  delight 
myself.  I  have  loved  to  hear  my  Lord 
spoken  of;  and  wherever  I  have  seen  the 
print  of  his  shoe  in  the  earth,  there  I  have 
coveted  to  set  my  foot  too.  His  name  has 
been  to  me  as  a  civet-box ;  yea,  sweeter 
than  all  perfumes.  His  voice  to  me  has 
been  most  sweet,  and  his  countenance  I 
have  more  desired  than  they  that  have  most 


A    PI  LQRIM.  113 


desired  the  light  of  the  sun.  His  words  I 
did  use  to  gather  for  my  food,  and  for  an- 
tidotes against  my  faiutiugs.  lie  hath  held 
me,  and  hath  kept  me  from  mine  iniqui- 
ties ;  yea,  my  steps  hath  he  strengthened 
in  his  way.'* 

4.  Here  we  see  the  liappi/  termination  of 
the  Christian's  p)iii)^^^^^9^  ^^  earth. — His 
sorrowful  days  are  ended.  He  has  fought 
the  good  fight ;  he  has  finished  his  course  ; 
he  has  kept  the  faith  ;  he  has  obtained  the 
victory  ]  he  has  crossed  the  swellings  of 
Jordan,  and  gone  to  receive  an  immortal 
crown. 

But  who  can  describe  the  glories  which 
encircle  the  saint,  safely  landed  on  the 
happy  shores  of  Immanuel's  land  ? 

**  In  vain  my  fancy  strives  to  paint 
The  moment  after  death  ; 
The  glories  that  surround  the  saints* 
When  yielding  up  their  breath. 
8 


114  WANDERINGS   OP 

One  gentle  sigh  their  fetters  breaks  : 
We  scarce  can  say  '  They're  gone/ 
Before  the  willing  spirit  takes 
Her  mansion  near  the  throne." 

Now  the  Cliristian  traveller  has  reached 
his  everlasting  home — that  house  not  made 
with  hands,  eternal  in  the  heavens.  Now 
the  trying  scenes  of  earth  are  past,  and  the 
wanderer,  raised  above  the  storms  of  life, 
steps  upon  another  shore ;  he  enters  a  land, 
blooming  with  immortality,  and  illuminated 
by  the  effulgent  beams  of  the  Sun  of  right- 
eousness. Now  he  is  ever  with  the  Lord. 
Now  he  is  seated  with  Immanuel  on  his 
heavenly  throne.  Now  he  is  arrayed  in 
the  shining  robes  of  glory,  and  drinks  of 
the  rivers  of  pleasures  at  God's  right  hand. 
When  we  contemplate  the  past  suffering 
condition,  and  the  present  felicitous  state 
of  such  a  one,  we  may  truly  say :  This  is 
he  who  has  come  out  of  great  tribulation, 


A   PILGRIM.  115 

and  has  washed  his  robe  and  made  it  white 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  Therefore  is 
he  before  the  throne  of  God,  and  serves  him 
day  and  night  in  his  temple.  He  shall 
hunger  no  more,  neither  thirst  any  more ; 
neither  shall  the  sun  light  on  him,  nor  any 
heat.  For  the  Lamb  which  is  in  the  midst 
of  the  throne  shall  feed  him,  and  lead  him 
unto  living  fountains  of  waters  j  and  God 
shall  wipe  away  all  tears  from  his  eyes 
Rev.  vii.  14—17. 

0  happy  termination  of  the  pilgrim's 
journey  on  earth  !  0  blessed  beginning 
of  his  felicity  in  heaven  ! 

"  Tis  past — the  voyage  of  life  is  o'er, 

The  wanderer  hails  another  clime  ; 
On  perils  borne  to  yonder  shore, 

He  views  afar  the  waves  of  time. 
The  storm  that  muttered  o'er  his  head, 

The  flame  that  quivered  round  his  path, 
Are  sweetly  hushed ;  the  cloud  hath  fled, 

And  gone  the  angry  lightning's  scath. 


116  WANDERINGS    OP 

*Tis  past;  and  grief  is  changed  to  songs, 

That  angel-cordons  love  to  hear  ; 
The  harp  that  to  delight  belongs, 

In  softest  murmur  soothes  his  ear. 
For  secret  sighs  that  rent  his  breast 

There's  peace  to  seraphs  only  known, — 
The  tear  that  told  the  heart  oppressed, 

Is  gemmed  upon  the  eternal  throne. 

Blessed  voyager  !  how  happy  thou, 

Safe  moored  within  the  port  of  peace; 
Once  heir  of  death — immortal  now, 

Of  pain — thy  toils  for  ever  cease. 
0,  may  I,  too,  thus  sweetly  rise, 

Thus  tread  yon  bright  empyrean  freej 
"With  joy  regain  those  native  skies, 

Secure  at  last  in  love  like  thee." 


THE    END. 


\li.''.' 


'^  fVj>4  v^  -A  r»ji-jr^i  fttr.*<  >^  .grg! /^_- 


Princeton  Theological  Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  01004  1723 


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